


Say it Again

by Treblemusician



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cai Xukun and Zhu Zhengting are bad at feelings, First Love, Fluffy Ending, Friendship, Getting Together, M/M, Mild Angst, My First Work in This Fandom, Not sure how this will turn out, Slow-Burn Relationship, Team as Family, This will be long, a lot of drama, tons of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26820157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treblemusician/pseuds/Treblemusician
Summary: Zhengting is a second-year university student who had his school year all mapped out - Leading the dance team, keeping his grades high, helping Wenjun handle his work and dealing with the kids (and hopefully making it out alive). Should be simple enough.But things definitely don't go as planned when a dashingly handsome first-year student shows up, someone who Zhengting had apparently also met previously in the past.
Relationships: Bi Wenjun/Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung, Cai Xukun & Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung, Cai Xukun/Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung, Ding Zeren/Zhou Yanchen, Fan Chengcheng & Huang Minghao | Justin, Lin Yanjun/You Zhangjing, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39





	1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> My first Nine Percent fic! I hope this turns out well! I will try to update as soon as I can :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhengting's job at the Welcome Center is hard as it is with having to help Justin and Chengcheng move in (the horror), but he supposed it wasn't so bad, especially if he got to meet attractive students like the handsome new music student whose smile made his heart flutter.
> 
> Cai Xukun is excited to finally be able to meet Zhengting again after so long... but while Zhengting seems to take a liking to him, he doesn't seem to remember Xukun at all...

Zhengting was an exceptionally kind person by nature. It was evident in the way he was generous and considerate to everyone. It was evident in the way he was willing to help others, even if it was inconvenient for himself. It was evident in the way he tolerated almost every horrible thing that his younger “brothers” could subject him to, even lugging two enormous suitcases and a stuffed-to-the-brim duffel bag for nine floors up the stairs. 

But his patience was really stretching paper-thin this time when Justin and Chengcheng stopped in their tracks for the eighteenth time on their way up the staircase in the span of five minutes, causing Zeren and Xinchun to nearly crash into his back yet again. _It was their fault for coming late,_ he thought. So all the elevators were already fully occupied by other students who also were moving in as well.

“Are you _sure_ we brought the waffle maker with us?” Chengcheng was asking when they reached the third floor as he rummaged through his sack with one hand. Zhengting was starting to swelter in the cramped stairwell. The late summer heat was making his brain fry and his bangs stick to his forehead in a sweaty mess. 

“Yeah, I think I stuffed it either in your bag or the one Zhengting ge’s carrying,” Justin replied, frowning pensively. “I know I put it in with the griddle last night. Wait! You didn’t forget the telescope, did you?”

“Nope, that’s in the bag that Quanzhe is carrying.”

“Could you please get a move on?” Zhengting interrupted, trying to keep from yelling in frustration. He shifted the heavy duffel bag to his other arm, his back already sore from the weight. _Did they pack rocks in here or something?_ he wondered irritably. He wouldn’t put it past the two. “I have to be at the Welcoming Center in a few minutes, and you’ve been dilly-dallying for way too long. Besides, you’re not allowed to keep high-power electric appliances in the dorms. The dorm keeper will confiscate them.”

Chengcheng raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. 

“So? You promised you would help us bring our stuff! And how else are we supposed to eat around here? I wouldn’t want to walk all the way over to the other building just to get my midnight snack.” 

Justin nodded conspiratorially in agreement. 

“We’ll just hide them when they do the room inspections.”

Zhengting gritted his teeth. _Deep breaths,_ he told himself. _You can deal with that later. They’re still your kids, and they are cute and loveable and obedient…_ He turned to glance at the others behind him. Zeren and Xinchun seemed to be too worn out to protest. Zhengting’s heart clenched when he saw Quanzhe’s mournful expression, his cheeks red from exertion. 

“Quanzhe’s going to die if you don’t hurry up!” he informed them. “And if you stop one more time on the way up, I swear I will drop all of your stuff and leave you to deal with it yourselves!” 

“You wouldn’t do that,” Chengcheng countered.

“Yeah, You wouldn’t leave your poor little Quanzhe to carry all of that, would you?”

Zhengting glared at Justin. 

“Huang Minghao, I’m being serious here. If you don’t listen to me right now, I’m going to tell your full name later to everyone I know around the school.”

Justin gasped, horrified, then turned and kicked Chengcheng’s leg.

“Fan Chengcheng, get your fat butt up the stairs now!”

“My rear end is not fat!” Chengcheng scowled at Justin, betrayed. “I’m going to hit you when we get to our room.” Justin was about to retort back when Zhengting huffed dangerously in anger.

_“Did you hear what I just said?_ Fan Chengcheng, I will hit _you_ if you don’t start moving right now!” 

“I can help you with that,” Zeren said evenly from behind him. They all turned to him warily. His mouth was stretched in a thin line, and his gaze was directed right at Chengcheng’s mentioned rear end.

“Fine, fine, we’re going!”

  
  


When they finally reached the ninth floor after a gazillion years, Zhengting brought the gang to their rooms across from each other down the hall. 

“So these are your rooms,” he told them, shoving their luggage through the doorway, almost sighing in relief. He stretched his back and shoulders. “Start getting unpacked. I have to go back and help the other students. I’ve spent way too long just helping you guys.” His phone started ringing from his shirt pocket. “That’s probably Yanchen wondering where I am. I have to leave. Be good and don’t cause trouble, okay?”

“Okay!” The others chorused, rushing excitedly into their rooms. Zhengting paused for a moment to hug Quanzhe and squish his cheeks. 

“Could you help Zeren keep an eye on those two animals?” He felt Quanzhe nod against his shoulder, smothering a laugh. “Love you!” He gave the little hamster another squeeze and ran off towards the stairwell again. 

Going down the stairs luggage-free was considerably faster and more convenient. Zhengting burst out into the open air again as he ran down the path leading away from the dormitory buildings. He sighed, spotting a large bag with _JUSTIN_ scrawled in red marker on a tag in the front lying by the edge of the sidewalk. One of the boys would have to come down to grab it once they found that it was missing, he figured, or he would probably deliver it to them later himself if he was feeling nice. Which would probably end up being the case anyway. Arriving across the street near the entrance to the public buildings, Zhengting stopped to take a breather and wipe the sweat off his face and fix his hair into something less gross when he heard a voice call his name.

“Hey, Zhengting!” Yanchen approached him with a big smile. Zhengting felt like he was momentarily blinded from its brightness. “What took you so long? I was waiting here for a while.”

Zhengting, being a second-year student and generally well-known for his involvement in many activities around the university, had been appointed to help out at the Welcome Center as a guide and attendant for the first week of the new academic year. Zhou Yanchen, one of his closest friends, was working there with him as well. Zhengting had met Yanchen in his first year on the first day of class. Both having chosen to do a major in dance and a minor in music, they had bonded instantly over their similar interests. Plus, Zhengting couldn’t get over Yanchen’s smile. 

“Sorry,” Zhengting apologized, following Yanchen towards the school main entrance. “My old friends from high school asked me to help them move in and it kind of dragged on. I guess they're almost like my kids.” Yanchen shook his head amiably.

“No, it’s okay. They seemed to be quite a handful when they first arrived. But they seem fun to hang around.” Zhengting laughed. 

“They certainly are interesting,” he agreed as he squeezed into the office. The place was crawling with students and visitors. It was like a huge ant colony infestation. Zhengting felt overwhelmed from the number of people crowded around. “Wow, it’s insane in here.”

“You guys are finally back,” Zhu Xingjie, their friend from the music department, greeted them. He was also Yanchen’s roommate, and was another recruit in the Welcome Center. “We really need help. Do you think you could take on that group over there?”

Zhengting followed where he was pointing, past a swamped and unnerved Zhou Rui, to a big group of parents and students waiting in a corner. 

“Sure,” Yanchen agreed. “We’ll try and come back faster.” Xingjie gave him a thumbs-up before turning to address more visitors. Yanchen took Zhengting’s arm and they walked over to the group together.

“Hi everyone! I’m Zhou Yanchen and this is Zhu Zhengting,” Yanchen introduced as Zhengting gave a little wave. “Do you need any help finding your way around here?” 

“We’re all looking for the administrations office. We have to return our signed registration documents there,” a woman told him anxiously, grabbing her son’s arm. The other parents agreed, steering their kids towards them. 

“Of course. We would be glad to show you the way. Is everyone heading there?” Yanchen asked. 

One student raised his hand timidly. 

“Um, actually, I’m looking for the dormitory by the performing arts building,” he said quietly, looking at Zhengting closely. Zhengting blinked. Why did that voice sound kind of familiar? Yanchen turned to him.

“Do you want to take him there? I’ll take this group to the office.” Zhengting nodded thankfully. He knew that Yanchen had made the offer because he had noticed Zhengting’s uneasiness to deal with the crowd of parents. 

“Thanks, Yanchen. I owe you.”

Yanchen squeezed his arm, then turned a brilliant smile to the group. 

“Alright, everyone, please come this way if you’re heading for the administrations office!” The large group filed out the doors, leaving a bit more space in the small room that was immediately being occupied by more people. Zhengting sighed, then addressed the other student, who was still waiting quietly in front of him, watching him. 

“Let’s go out,” he suggested. “Away from this craziness.”

The student nodded, following him outside. Once Zhengting was finally able to take a deep breath, he turned to observe the other boy better, then stopped, stunned, to find that he was tall and very good-looking, with a neat figure and clear skin and handsome features. Zhengting’s gaze was drawn to the curve of the boy’s full lips and his wide eyes framed with long eyelashes. His brain stalled at the sight of the boy’s long limbs and the way he tugged on the collar of his shirt nervously, displaying the smooth, pale stretch of his neck. _Woah._ He totally looked like a model.

Zhengting was promptly embarrassed. _Stop staring,_ he berated himself. _He’s probably already scared enough after having to deal with that madness in the office._ True enough, the other boy was looking at him shyly, awaiting his instructions. Zhengting was suddenly very conscious of how sweaty and gross he must be looking right now, especially in front of someone who looked like he belonged on the front cover of _VOGUE_ magazine or something. He quickly put on what he hoped was a friendly smile.

“So you’re looking for the dorms by the performance building, right? Come, I’ll take you there.” He motioned at the boy’s luggage, which consisted of one suitcase and a large travelling bag (a good deal less than Justin’s and Chengcheng’s useless stuff). “Here, I can help you carry your bag,” he offered, taking it and slinging it over his shoulder. It was heavy, but not as back-breaking as Justin’s sack of rocks. 

The other boy seemed a little relieved to not have to carry it, but protested against him.

“It’s fine, I can do it myself,” he began, but Zhengting just smiled at him and shook his head.

“I don’t mind,” he said, “And I’ve carried way heavier stuff earlier, so I’m used to it now.”

The other boy smiled hesitantly back, and Zhengting found himself trying not to blush. Ugh. It was difficult. Especially when the other boy’s smile made him look really, really attractive. 

“I’m Zhu Zhengting,” he continued as they started down the path towards the direction of the arts department. “I’m a second-year student.”

“I know,” the other boy smiled softly, “I’m Cai Xukun. Thanks for helping me again.”

_Right._ Yanchen had already introduced Zhengting earlier, hadn’t he? Zhengting was distracted momentarily by the way Xukun talked and the sound of his voice… Again, it felt a little familiar, as though Zhengting had maybe met him somewhere before. He squinted. Xukun was observing him curiously. But… Zhengting didn’t recognize the name, and he was sure he would remember such a handsome person if he’d ever met him anywhere… There it was again. _Stop blushing._

“It’s great to meet you! So, since you’re living close to the performing arts building, you must be interested in arts courses, right?” 

“Yeah, I am!” Xukun perked up and turned to him, all charming smile and radiating gorgeousness. Zhengting swallowed with difficulty. Why was his face feeling so hot? He blamed it on helping Justin and the kids through that torturous journey up the stairs, where he had surely overheated.

Throughout their walk together to Xukun’s dorm building, Zhengting discovered that the younger had been a little shy initially, but quickly opened up to him and was actually quite interesting to talk to, with a very cute and likeable personality. He got to know that Xukun was majoring in music, and was also taking several dance courses, like him. Zhengting felt really pleased to know that he would get to see the other boy more often throughout the year. He enjoyed talking with the younger so much that he was even a little disappointed when they arrived at their destination seemingly in no time.

“Let me see if I can bring your stuff upstairs with you,” he said to Xukun, who beamed adorably at his words. Zhengting stopped in front of Xukun’s dormitory building. There were people bustling in and out, parents, students and luggage everywhere. His phone rang again, and he sighed, knowing he had to go back before he could offer to help Xukun find his room upstairs. 

“Sorry, Yanchen, I’ll be right back! I’ll meet you at the office,” he answered the call quickly, before giving an apologetic smile to Xukun, who was looking at him seriously. 

“Did I take up too much of your time?” the younger asked, looking downcast. “Your office was really busy… ” Zhengting’s stomach twisted at his dejected expression. He quickly tried to reassure Xukun.

“You’re right, but it’s definitely not your fault. Normally I would have shown you around your room and the dorm hall, but today there’s just way too many people.” He pushed open the door to the building. “I’ll put your bag by the elevator.”

“Thank you, Zhengting ge - or should I call you Senior?” Xukun said earnestly, looking straight in Zhengting’s eyes. Zhengting’s chest fluttered. 

“You can just call me Zhengting,” he said, and was glad to see Xukun’s smile reappear on his face. “You can come find me or visit my department whenever you need any help. We might also see each other if you join the dance team and some clubs.” He didn’t want to seem too pushy or hopeful, so he waved and was about to leave when he felt a hand grab his wrist. He turned in surprise.

“U - um, could I maybe… come visit you even - even if I don’t need any help?” Xukun’s voice was small, his gaze fixed to the ground. His face was flushed a faint pink. Zhengting didn’t move, stunned from the unexpectedness. This guy - _kind and cute and charming and handsome_ \- wanted to spend time with _him_? At Zhengting’s apparent loss of motor function, Xukun’s ears turned bright red. “Sorry, I didn’t mean - you’re probably busy, and I just - sorry,” he finished lamely, his voice almost inaudible at the end. He withdrew his hand from Zhengting’s wrist, still not daring to look up.

Zhengting shook himself out of his daze, his stomach doing somersaults as he processed what he’d just heard.

“For sure! Definitely! I really wouldn’t mind,” he babbled, his own cheeks flushing, “I’m sure all my friends would like you! You’re really mature and nice and funny and - yeah.” _Wow. Way to go, Zhengting._

“Yeah? Really?” Xukun lifted his face to meet Zhengting’s gaze, a wide smile making his eyes light up hopefully. Zhengting was definitely not blushing like an idiot. Nope. He forced himself to calm down to speak comprehensively.

“Yes, really. Bye, Xukun, hopefully I’ll see you around!” He turned away from that enthralling smile before his face could explode from heat and ran down the path they’d come from, still not quite believing what had just happened. 

It was just his luck to already be smitten with an incredibly handsome first-year student on the first day of classes. Great.

* * *

Xukun couldn’t keep the grin off his face even after he’d already settled into his room, swept out the whole place and was unpacking his luggage. 

He couldn’t help but get distracted over and over from thinking about finally getting to meet Zhengting again. After misplacing his books for the sixth time (oddly, he’d been trying to stuff them in the sock drawer of his wardrobe instead of on his shelf), he decided to give up for the time being and flopped on his bed to make a call.

“Hey, Ziyi, when are you getting here?” he spoke into his phone, staring at light patterns on the ceiling. 

Wang Ziyi had been Xukun’s best friend for so many years, Xukun had lost track of when their friendship had exactly started. They had been classmates throughout their school career, and Ziyi had always remained as his close friend. Xukun knew he could count on Ziyi for anything he ever needed. He was really glad that the two of them would get to be roommates and share a dorm room together at the university.

“Sorry, bro, I just got to the registration place. I think it’ll take a few more minutes,” Ziyi’s voice crackled in his ear. “Have you unpacked yet?”

Xukun sighed at the thought of having to get up and continue sorting his things.

“I’m getting there. Hey, you know what?” His words tumbled out in a rush. “I saw him. Zhengting, I mean. The one I told you about. He helped me find the dorm building and carry my stuff,” he stopped to release a breath, his chest deflating, “But I don’t think he remembers me.”

“That’s cool, Kun,” Ziyi replied. The voices and noise coming from his end of the call had suddenly disappeared, so Xukun guessed that he was finished with the registration and was on his way to find him now. “Well, it’s understandable though. You’ve only met him once, right? You’ve really changed since then, bro. And you didn’t tell him your name that time, either.” There was a pause. “Hey, a student guide is coming to help me find our room. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Bye, Ziyi,” Xukun hung up. He continued to lie still, thinking over the afternoon’s new turn of events.

★

Xukun remembered the very first time he had met Zhengting. 

It had been when he was still in high school, a lanky, awkward teenager who was shy and had mostly kept to himself, debating whether to pursue his dream of studying music. Ziyi had been his only real friend at that time, the two of them working hard to keep their grades up together and wondering what their futures would be like. 

He recalled that there had been a university fair that his entire grade and the senior students had attended, along with students from a large number of other high schools around the region. Once he’d arrived at the convention center, the rush of people and the crowd had been intense. Apparently, a few of the universities had been gaining a lot of interest that year, and the whole place had been packed. Before he’d even realized what had happened, Xukun had been separated from Ziyi and his other classmates, lost in the sea of people. He’d initially panicked for a moment, searching for them in vain amongst the crowd, then he’d decided that wandering around by himself wouldn’t really matter anyway. After a few minutes, however, the noise, lack of space and the heat from the mass of bodies had been too much for him and he’d ended up having to step outside for some fresh air to calm down. 

That was when he’d seen Zhengting. 

Xukun had heard the light sound of footsteps approaching, then had looked up to see another boy before him, with fluffy hair and sparkling eyes and a kind expression on his delicate features passing by. Xukun had been instantly captivated by the other boy’s dazzling smile, his heartbeat quickening uncontrollably. 

“It’s really overwhelming in there, isn’t it?” the beautiful boy had turned unexpectedly to him, and Xukun had been amazed, because he’d never known that it was possible for someone, a boy no less, to be so _pretty._ He’d nodded mutely, unable to stop himself from staring creepily at the stranger’s mesmerizing face and lithe, graceful figure. The other boy hadn’t seemed to mind, though. “I get it. I was just in there a moment ago to help with a technical problem at our stand,” he’d said, then had looked at Xukun curiously before suddenly asking, “Do you want to come with me to look around? It’ll at least be less boring than waiting here for the event to end.” He’d taken Xukun gently by the arm, gesturing for him to follow.

Xukun hadn’t cared about the event, he’d just wanted to stay near the other boy’s bright smile and comforting presence.

“Here, come inside,” the fluffy-haired boy had stopped in front of a side door, stepping aside to let Xukun enter. Xukun’s eyes had widened. Inside the small room, there’d been microphones, a keyboard, speakers and sound recording equipment, as well as instrument cases lying on the floor. He’d turned to the other boy, unsure if he could… The other boy had nodded at him, settling down on a chair. “You can touch them. This is the stuff my university brought for a live demonstration earlier.” He’d grinned when Xukun had started to fiddle with the equipment immediately, an enraptured look on his face. “So you’re interested in music too?”

“Yeah, I am,” Xukun had responded eagerly, then stopped, lowering his head. “I mean… I like it, but I’m going to pursue finance and business in university.” This was what he’d decided to focus on, for his parents’ approval and what he believed he should do. He’d been pressuring himself for so long, wondering if it was the right decision. He’d looked up to find that the other boy’s smile had faded, and he was studying Xukun’s face calmly.

“Do you like that more than you like music?” he’d asked after a pause, and Xukun had been taken aback by how straightforward it sounded. 

“Sorry, what did you ask?”

“I was wondering… is that what you really want?” The other boy had pushed a hand through his fluffy hair. “When you just told me you were interested in music, your eyes were practically glowing. But I couldn’t see that same enthusiasm when you said you were going into finance.”

Xukun’s chest had tightened. How could someone who he’d met only a few minutes ago be capable of being so perceptive? He’d kept his gaze on the other boy, conflicted. 

“I think you should do something you really love,” the other had continued in a gentle tone, “and not what you think other people want you to do. The people who care about you… I’m sure they would support you no matter what you choose. As long as you work hard, as long as you always try your best, nothing should stop you from doing something you’re passionate about.” An embarrassed look had appeared on the beautiful boy’s face as Xukun continued to gape at him. Those words had been aimed right at his worries. “I mean, I just started studying in the music program this year too. It’s not easy, but I think it’s really fun, so…”

“Wait, you’re only a first-year student?” Xukun had interrupted, amazed.

“Yeah, um, my professor asked me to volunteer to fill in for him just for today’s event.” The other boy had turned and patted the stool next to him by the keyboard. “Why don’t you come play for a bit?”

Xukun couldn’t remember how long he’d spent in that little room playing with the beautiful stranger, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. In that short amount of time, they’d played around with the equipment, talked about their interests and school life and had laughed at jokes between them. Xukun had felt his nervousness disappearing the more he talked and shared, especially when the other boy listened to him so carefully, as though he genuinely cared about what he had to say. And he’d especially liked making the other boy laugh, hearing his voice tinkle melodiously, his bright smile in place. 

All too soon, their happy little time was over and the other boy had checked his watch before leaping up.

“I’m really sorry, but I have to get back to my group now.” 

Xukun had felt disappointment seeping into his stomach, but he’d nodded and helped the other boy arrange the equipment and followed him back out to the event hall. 

“You know,” the other boy had spoke up as they walked together, “You should be a little more confident with yourself. You seemed kind of shy when I first saw you, but you’re a really fun person, and you’re nice and cute.” Cute? That incredibly kind and beautiful boy had called him _cute?!_ Xukun’s face had started to feel warm. The other boy had stopped when they’d re-entered and joined the crowd. “I understand, because I was like that too once.” _Wait, what?_ “Be confident, okay? You’re definitely going to do amazing things in the future. And don’t forget - choose things that make you happy!” The other boy had raised his voice over the din, smiled, then turned away.

Xukun’s stomach had dropped when he’d realized that the other boy was about to leave. _How can I find him again? I don't even know his name, or…_ He’d started to reach for the other boy’s arm.

_“Wait -”_

“Zhu Zhengting! Where are you?” A loud voice had called from nearby. 

“I’m coming, Yanchen!” The beautiful boy had turned one last time to smile at Xukun before waving and heading away with another student towards a display stand at the back that read _WELCOME TO DACHANG._

Xukun had stood still, watching his figure get swallowed into the crowd.

His heartbeat had still not slowed down. He’d smiled.

_Zhu Zhengting, huh. And Dachang University._

Zhu Zhengting’s words had directly impacted Xukun’s life. Following their first encounter, Xukun had realized that the other boy’s advice had been exactly what he’d needed to motivate himself to achieve what he wanted. For the rest of the school year and throughout the next, he’d really worked hard to improve his studies. He’d continued to practice what he enjoyed. And, with Ziyi’s support and with Zhengting’s voice guiding him in his mind, he’d told his parents of his decision to pursue his music dreams. They’d been shocked initially, not expecting their son had been keeping such a big burden hidden from them, but knowing how hard Xukun had been working to prepare for it, they’d fully agreed, as long as he was certain that it would make him happy. Xukun had done research on Dachang University, and had found that the performing arts faculty and the music program there offered just what he’d wanted. He’d wasted no time applying there, along with Ziyi. When his application had been accepted, He’d felt exhilarated. _I’m so lucky,_ he’d thought. _I’m so lucky that Zhengting was there that day._

One of the biggest changes that Xukun had gone through in his final year of high school was his inner confidence. He was no longer the shy, awkward child anymore. He’d pushed himself to open up with others and emerge from his shell. His appearance had changed as well. He’d grown taller, more refined, more attractive. He stood straighter, more poised and elegant. He’d been shocked when he’d found out that a lot of girls - or maybe even guys - started to be interested in him. During the times where he was uncertain with himself, he would think back to Zhengting’s captivating smile and his voice encouraging him to keep going. Once he was able to gain confidence, he’d discovered that people were actually really friendly and liked him for who he was. 

Ziyi had been really happy for him, and astonished at his transformation. 

“You’ve really grown, bro. I’m curious to see what kind of person could have influenced you to change so much. If you ever see this Zhengting person again, I would sure like to meet him,” he’d said, right before their high school graduation.

_I would, too,_ Xukun had thought. _After all, I still need to thank him for everything he’s done._

★

During the past year and more, Xukun’s memory of the fluffy-haired boy had been clear, yet like a dream. But the moment he’d seen Zhengting again in that overcrowded office, his mind had immediately gone blank because _somehow,_ the older boy had been even more mesmerizing, captivating, and so _warm and alive and real_ in the flesh than what he’d remembered in the distant recesses of his mind.

Zhengting still had that same kind hearted personality and the same bright, alluring smile, Xukun thought. But during the time he’d been away from him, Zhengting had become even more impossibly beautiful, his features even more striking and his movements even more smooth and graceful than before. Xukun found the way he’d been flustered and embarrassed totally cute. _I hope that I’ll see him around more often._

The sound of the door opening pulled him out of his reminiscing, but the grin remained on his face. As he hurried over to help Ziyi bring his belongings in, Xukun had an excited tingling feeling in his chest.

School life was definitely about to get more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are enjoying it! Thank you for reading! The real story will start in the next chapter.  
> I will try to post the next part soon :)


	2. Step By Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xukun meets Zhengting at the dance club again and gets introduced to the kids. With Wenjun added to the mix, Zhengting's life certainly gets complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, this was long! My ideas are totally scrambled from an insanely crazy week at school :0 ! I hope the story is developing okay!

The first week of the new school year passed relatively quickly for Zhengting. The hustle and bustle of new classes, new course material and new activities made the time fly by without him knowing it. Another thing that had kept him busy was helping the kids get settled in with their schedules. He’d given them a tour around all the buildings, and had helped them set up their dorm (more like he’d done the all work while Justin and Chengcheng had just sat around, eating a pack of chips). Luckily, since their courses contained the same material that he was used to, Zhengting was able to give them help with it if they ever needed any.

Were they too dependent on him? Well, yes, obviously, but they were practically his brothers, his kids, and he’d kind of missed life without them last year when they were still completing high school, even if he wouldn’t admit it to their faces. 

Zhengting had known Justin the longest, probably since they were teeny, squalling toddlers, and they were close enough to be related. If anything, his own family treated Justin like his cousin, so he could assume that Justin felt their bond just as much as he did. As for Chengcheng, he’d been introduced as another family friend when Zhengting and Justin had just started primary school. The mischievous and crazy child had quickly become their group’s newest addition, and unfortunately often influenced Justin to play pranks and cause trouble along with him. Zhengting supposed that at that young age, he’d already appointed himself to watch over the two younger ones, making sure to comfort and protect them, as well as boss them around. He recalled that as they continued on through elementary school, more and more started to join them. There’d been Zeren and Xinchun, who Zhengting had met at a dance club in school. And little Quanzhe, a lonely child in Chengcheng’s class, who Zhengting had found unbelievably cute. Without much thought, he’d taken them all under his wing and cared for them just like he cared for Justin and Chengcheng, who were glad to have more friends join their circle (more people to prank on was always a good thing). And of course, there’d been Wenjun. The seven of them became extremely tight-knit over the years, and were like a little family. Zhengting was really happy that they had all been accepted to Dachang University together, so that they wouldn’t need to separate. Justin was actually younger by a year, but had skipped a year in middle school, so he could join them (which was why he always bragged about being clever).

In any case, Zhengting had done his best to raise them, and was proud of how they’d grown to be talented and good kids. But not now. Not now, when they were grating on his nerves and yammering nonstop in his ear while he was trying to work.

“Can you go buy us some food, please?” Chengcheng was asking again, facedown on the floor in their dorm room. 

“Chengcheng, you literally just ate like fifteen minutes ago. We shouldn’t go out; it's late and we have class tomorrow,” Zhengting responded, rubbing his eyes to focus on the textbook problem that he was trying to explain to Xinchun. It didn’t really help at all.

“But I’m hungry again!” Chengcheng groaned, his arms flailing in all directions. 

“I want to go visit Wenjun gege in his lab! He never visits us anymore! He abandoned us!” Justin flopped dramatically to the ground next to him, and the two of them rolled around in a tangle of limbs. Zhengting sighed in exasperation, setting down his pencil. He clearly couldn’t concentrate enough to get anything done that night. 

“Quit rolling around, you’re going to get dust everywhere. And Wenjun was the one who drove all the way home to pick you all up and bring you here, remember?” He looked apologetically at Xinchun, who shrugged back.

“Yeah, but I want to see him and play with his tools! I bet there’s a ton of cool stuff in his lab,” Justin sat up, a pleading pout on his face. Chengcheng sat up as well, his hair mussed and dishevelled.

“And maybe there’ll be something to eat!”

Zhengting stared at him in disbelief before moving over to pat down his clothes.

“Wenjun’s busy working,” he said firmly, “And first-year students aren’t allowed to go in the labs if they don’t belong to that faculty.” That wasn’t exactly true. After all, Zhengting had visited Wenjun there for countless evenings during the past year, waiting for him and keeping him company until his work was done for the night. Wenjun had shown him how to use a lot of the tools, too, while the two of them were alone. But the kids didn’t need to know that, not if the students at the university wanted to stay safe. 

At Justin’s sad expression, his heart softened. 

“I’m sure he misses us all,” Zhengting pulled Justin and Chengcheng over to one of the beds, gesturing for Xinchun to join them. “Tell you what, tomorrow I’ll ask Wenjun when he’s free, so you guys can come visit us instead, how about that? We’ll take you somewhere fun, just like old times,” he suggested, putting his arms around all of them. “And if you two keep quiet, I’ll let you have some candy from my bag, okay? Xinchun, you can have some, too, and we’ll continue with your assignment.” 

Chengcheng and Justin nodded contentedly and Zhengting smiled at them fondly. It was probably not such a good idea to let them have sweets late at night, but he decided to be a little lenient, just this once. 

Especially since he was missing Wenjun, too. 

✱

Zhengting made his way to the studio that was used for the dance club’s practice the next afternoon along with Yanchen. It was their second meeting, and Zhengting was excited to see all the members again, especially since Xukun, the super-handsome new student he’d helped on the first day of classes, had also signed up for the club. 

It had been a nice surprise to see him again when they’d begun their first practice a few days ago, in casual athletic clothing that time, rather than the crisp button-up that Zhengting had seen him in the first day. Zhengting hadn’t noticed him until halfway through the practice, though, until he’d started going around the room to see if anyone required assistance. As soon as he’d finished helping a younger student named Li Xikan with the movements, there had been a tap on his shoulder, and he’d spun around to see Xukun standing less than a foot away, looking straight at Zhengting with a smile. He’d taken off the cap he’d been wearing so that Zhengting could see his face better.

“Oh, hi! It’s great to see you again!” Zhengting had blurted, happily surprised to see the younger again so soon. “So you actually decided to join the club!”

“Yeah, I did, so I could see you,” Xukun had replied steadily, his gaze unwavering, his smile still in place. He’d suddenly seemed a lot more mature and confident than when Zhengting had met him on the first day. And a lot more straightforward. 

Zhengting’s stomach had started feeling jittery and he’d been sure his ears were turning red. Xukun, on the other hand, hadn’t seemed to be fazed at all, looking at Zhengting calmly with something almost like amusement dancing in his eyes. It was horribly unfair, Zhengting had thought.

“W - well, that’s really nice of you,” he’d stuttered, flustered. He’d caught sight of Zeren and the kids giving him a strange look from across the room. “Is there anything I can help you with?” At that, Xukun’s smile had grown even wider. 

“You could come talk with me more,” he’d said, the corner of his mouth lifting, and then –

“ _– Zhengting!_ I’ve been calling you for the past two minutes!” Yanchen’s voice in his ear snapped him out of his reverie. Zhengting shook his head to clear his mind before turning to look at his friend’s worried face.

“Sorry, Yanchen! I was just thinking about something,” he apologized, hurrying over to help set up the speakers. Yanchen frowned.

“Is something bothering you? You kept making this weird noise and biting your lips.” _Oh no._ Zhengting covered his face in embarrassment. “Why is your face so red?” Yanchen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Are you embarrassed? Wait - could it be… you’re thinking about _someone?”_ When Zhengting didn’t reply right away, he gasped and grinned widely. “You are! Did you meet someone you like? Is it a new prospect? But wait, you and Wenjun… Come on, tell me, Zhengting, who is it? I’m so curious! Is it someone I know? Is it someone in our club?” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Zhengting, who let out a little squeak. 

“N - no, I just - ”

“I thought I was your friend, Zhengting,” Yanchen pouted, putting on a dramatically sad expression. “I thought you would trust me enough to tell me anything.” 

“I do, Yanchen, you’re my best friend, you know that!” Zhengting tried to reassure him desperately. He hated it when Yanchen did his sad face. He didn’t look the same without his brilliant smile.

“Then why are you keeping secrets from me? Tell me who you’re interested in! Pleeeaaase!” Yanchen pulled insistently on his arm.

“Yeah, tell us, Zhengting ge!” Zhengting whipped around to find Justin and Chengcheng just entering the room, both with identical (wicked) grins on their faces. “We want to know, too!” 

“I bet it’s that guy who talked to you and made you blush like a tomato during our last practice,” Chengcheng fluttered his eyelashes, faking innocence. Justin copied him, making an exaggerated pout.

“You guys are early,” Zhengting quickly tried to hedge away from having to answer, “Why don’t you come help us set up? Justin, could you get the emergency first-aid kit from the storage room?”

Justin looked unimpressed. He shared a glance with Chengcheng.

“Should I start, or should you?” he asked, the two of them moving closer to surround Zhengting from both sides. Yanchen stood by unhelpfully and watched in amusement as Zhengting panicked and dropped to a crouch near the floor. Ever since Zhengting had introduced him to the kids, Yanchen had found them extremely entertaining and unfortunately often took their side in pestering him out of his mind. Zhengting regretted ever suggesting that they should meet.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you! It’s not even a big deal,” Zhengting mumbled as the three of them leaned in closer to hear him. Zhengting opened his mouth to answer when they heard someone else enter the room.

“Hey, guys, what are you all talking about?” a voice cut through the tension, and Zhengting heaved a sigh of relief at the interruption, turning to address the newcomer. Then he instantly felt his ears start to burn and his stomach suddenly did a horrified cartwheel.

Xukun was standing there, looking down at him expectantly. Zhengting had a free, unobstructed view of his sharp jawline and his smooth collarbones from his position below. He swallowed with difficulty, trying not to ogle too obviously. 

“H - hi, Xukun,” he attempted to say. Zhengting guessed his face was red enough to rival the colour of Justin’s shirt. He hoped with all his might that Xukun hadn’t heard anything from a few moments ago. 

Yanchen looked back and forth between him and Xukun, his eyebrows quirked to ask, _so this is the guy you were about to mention?_ Zhengting squeezed his eyes shut and nodded the tiniest bit. “This guy asked about you at the Club Fair last week,” Yanchen whispered excitedly. _Wait, was he serious?_

Justin and Chengcheng looked viciously delighted. 

“You’re also that new member on the basketball team!” Justin said loudly. “I saw you at the first game! You scored so many points!” He gave Zhengting a conspiring look before beaming widely at Xukun. “You're really handsome, like Wenjun gege!” Zhengting buried his head in his arms to hide his burning face.

“He’s in my music class!” Chengcheng announced triumphantly to Justin. “He’s the one who gave a demonstration at our first sound recording class, remember?” The two of them circled Xukun, observing him closely up and down while the latter stood still, looking at them curiously. 

“Hmmm… what do you think, Chengcheng?” Justin asked after a minute, crossing his arms with narrowed eyes.

“I say… he passes! For now, at least,” Chengcheng responded. Justin nodded, satisfied, and the two of them abruptly stopped their circling and moved back.

“I agree. He gets a pass. Okay, please enjoy,” he said with a smirk to Xukun, sweeping an arm out at Zhengting. “But we’re still keeping an eye on you.” Then he skipped away with Chengcheng over to Yanchen, who was holding his stomach with laughter a few feet away. _Some best friend you are,_ Zhengting thought sourly. 

“So, um… ” Xukun raised his eyebrows at Zhengting, a small smile on his lips. “Apparently, I’ve passed their inspection.” He held out a hand to help Zhengting up from the floor.

Zhengting blushed, accepting his hand, straightening as he stood up. Xukun seemed to keep his grasp a little longer than necessary, his warm fingers brushing against Zhengting’s own. Zhengting shook his head, embarrassed.

“Sorry about that, they didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. They’re just overprotective. They’re almost like my kids,” he said, looking into the other’s eyes, which were twinkling in amusement.

“No, it’s fine,” Xukun said, turning to see the two crazy children spinning in circles around Yanchen. “It’s kind of cute. They seem really fun to hang around, especially during class. The professor likes them, too. He praises them a lot.”

Zhengting smiled proudly at them. _They really are growing up._ He headed over to the storage room as more club members started to show up, with Xukun following behind him without being asked.

“I’ll introduce you to the rest of the kids later after practice,” he said to Xukun, who nodded enthusiastically, holding open the door for him and offering to carry the boxes instead. That was another thing about Xukun. He was always so well-mannered and charming, and it made Zhengting feel almost shy. 

  
  


Practice went well, and luckily this time there were no slips, mishaps or confusion from the new members. Zhengting was pleased it was going so well, particularly because it was the first time that he and Yanchen were leading the club. Zhengting had also managed to become the leader of the competitive dance team, which he was anticipating and excited for. 

Near the end of practice, when the members were taking a short break, he caught sight of Xukun running over some moves with Justin and another competitive dance student named Lin Chaoze. Zhengting pulled Yanchen over with him to take a look at what they were doing.

“Hey, Zhengting, would you mind going over some of the steps with us again?” Chaoze asked, coming out of a spin. 

“Yeah, show us, Ting ge!” Justin hopped up and down energetically. Zhengting felt Xukun’s large dark eyes watching him and tried his hardest not to blush.

“Okay,” he agreed, getting into position with Chaoze. On Chaoze’s count, he started to dance, going through each move that he’d practiced thousands of times with ease. 

Zhengting loved to dance. He’d started dancing since before he could remember, and he couldn’t imagine not being able to move freely, expressing himself without restraints, as though his body was speaking for him, movements flowing rhythmically to the music. Whether it was a highly-pumped, adrenaline-filled routine or a lilting, emotional, poetic piece, Zhengting’s body would automatically follow along, as if it was an inborn instinct to go along with the music, a natural reflex to go wherever the music was taking him.

After a few moments, however, Zhengting was suddenly aware of movement from beside him, and when he glanced at the mirror, he saw Xukun dancing along right next to him. He almost lost balance on a turn from surprise, then righted himself and continued. He pretended not to notice the little smile on Xukun’s reflection in the mirror. He did steal a few looks at the younger, though, as unobtrusively as he could. 

After they stopped, Zhengting turned to Xukun with wide eyes.

“Wow, you’re really good!” he told him. “I didn’t know you were such a good dancer! Did you learn it before?” It was true - Xukun’s dancing was a lot better than he’d thought; all powerful and alluring, and as Zhengting’s professor and instructor would say, very balanced. Yanchen and Justin looked similarly impressed. 

Xukun grinned back, doing a little bow. His cheeks seemed to be a little flushed, but Zhengting assumed that it was probably because of all the dancing he’d just done. 

“Thanks,” he said, “Yeah, I did practice dancing on my own before, while I was working on my music.” Then he looked at Zhengting admiringly. “But it’s not the same as yours, though. When you dance, you’re so graceful and smooth and precise… it’s really amazing,” he finished, meeting Zhengting’s gaze sincerely. “I hope I can learn from you… maybe we can dance together sometime?”

Zhengting could feel his heart start pounding faster at his words. He was about to respond when there was a sudden loud cough from behind him.

“I don’t mean to interrupt or anything, but practice is about to start again,” Chaoze looked at them meaningfully. Zhengting jumped from shock, nearly falling over again until he felt Xukun put a steadying hand on his back. Justin and Yanchen giggled unhelpfully loudly from behind them. Zhengting caught sight of Chengcheng observing him with a distinctly unnerving smirk from across the room. _Yikes._ He quickly nodded, embarrassed.

“O - oh, yeah, I guess I’d better go now,” he said before moving away from Xukun and hurrying over to the front of the room. 

It was only after their practice had resumed for a good while that Zhengting realized that Xukun’s eyes were still watching him in the mirror. Which, obviously, made it really, really hard to focus.

* * *

Xukun had signed up for the dance club the moment he’d seen the rather flamboyant display at the University Club Fair during the first week of classes. _Right, the Dance Club! Zhengting mentioned that he was in it, didn’t he?_ Xukun had immediately gone over eagerly, hoping to see the beautiful second-year student greeting visitors at the stand. 

Unfortunately, that hadn’t happened. Instead, as he’d peered in vain through the colourful bunches of streamers with pop music from the speakers booming in his ears, he’d come face-to face with an unfamiliar dark-haired boy with an angular face and a stern expression looking at him curiously. The boy, who was slightly shorter than Xukun himself, had been fixing the wires surrounding the speakers and computer. Xukun had approached him hesitantly.

“Hi, is this where I can sign up for the dance club?”

The other boy’s expression had eased as he’d heard his question. He’d looked at Xukun with an approving smile.

“You want to join?” At Xukun’s nod, he’d tapped on his computer, pulling up a chart document and turned it around, gesturing for Xukun to type. “Please fill out your information here on the list. By the way, I’m Ding Zeren; I’m a first-year student in the dance program.” 

Xukun had given him a firm handshake. 

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Cai Xukun.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of you! The new guy from the music faculty that everyone’s talking about?”

Xukun had shrugged, going in a little closer.

“Hey, I was just wondering - not to be rude or anything - but why would the dance club put a first-year student to recruit new members? Shouldn’t they have someone more experienced?” he’d questioned. The other had narrowed his eyes.

“What, are you implying that I’m not skilled enough? You better keep your eyes open.” Zeren had moved away from the table after selecting a track to play on his computer. As the music started, he’d begun to dance, doing a set of complicated movements with remarkable precision and intricacy. Xukun had been seriously impressed. He’d watched, fascinated, until Zeren had stopped, eyeing him closely. “Still not good enough for you?”

“No, no, that wasn’t what I meant!” At Xukun’s panicked expression, Zeren had laughed and patted him on the back.

“I was just kidding, buddy. It’s fine, I get why you asked.”

“You’re seriously good, though,” Xukun had relaxed, grinning back. “Your dancing is amazing. Is that why you’re representing the club?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, one of the dance club leaders asked me to step in for him because he was busy with something else today. He’s the one who made me join the club. He’s really good and he’s pretty young too,” Zeren had raised his eyebrows pointedly at Xukun, “He’s a second-year student.”

Xukun’s heart had leaped. _Could it be –_

“Hey, are you the one filling in today?” Yanchen had come over to the stand with a stack of flyers in his arms. Xukun had recognized him easily since he’d often seen him around Zhengting. At Zeren’s nod, Yanchen had given the two of them a blindingly bright smile.

“I’m one of the dance club representatives today as well. You’re one of Zhengting’s kids, Zeren, right? I think I’ve seen you before,” Yanchen had addressed Zeren, who’d nodded mutely again. He’d been staring unblinkingly in awe at Yanchen, who hadn’t seemed to notice or care. “Great! I just saw your dancing a moment ago. You’re definitely one of Zhengting’s kids if you’re that good,” Yanchen had praised, “I think all of his kids are really talented in dance and music. It’s nice to meet you, I’ve already met some of the others in your group.”

Zeren had nodded again at his words, quickly shaking Yanchen’s hand, his gaze still fixed on the older’s face. Yanchen had flashed his shiny white smile again. Xukun had thought that Zeren’s ears looked rather red, but it could’ve just been his imagination. He’d spoken up to Yanchen.

“Is Zhengting also…?” 

“You know Zhengting?” Yanchen and Zeren had turned to him, studying him closer.

“Um, yeah, we’ve met before,” Xukun had replied awkwardly at their stares, “I just, um, wanted to ask whether he was in the club too.” He’d sworn that Yanchen’s smile had grown even wider. It had been mildly terrifying.

“He sure is,” Yanchen had said, exchanging a glance with Zeren. “He’s a leader and representative. If you’re looking for him… I think he’s taking Justin and Chengcheng out today, so he isn’t around.”

“That’s okay. Thanks anyway.” Xukun had waved and turned to leave. From the corner of his eye, he’d seen Zeren talking animatedly to Yanchen as a new group of people had approached the stand. _How interesting,_ he’d thought, walking away to continue browsing around the event with a smile on his face.

_At least I know I’m going to see Zhengting soon._

Obviously, Xukun had hoped to see Zhengting around as much as he could. Throughout the first week of school, he’d lingered around in common areas throughout his dormitory building (such as the elevators, TV lounges and recreation rooms), hoping to spot the beautiful dancer passing by, even if for a brief moment. There had been no sign of him, though, much to Xukun’s disappointment. Perhaps Zhengting lived in a different dormitory building? Although the other dormitories were further away from the performance building, there was a possibility that Zhengting may have moved there because this one didn’t have enough space due to the large number of new students. In any case, Xukun had continued to search for him in the halls or in the classrooms in school. There had been a few times where he’d thought he’d caught a glimpse of that fluffy hair or that familiar figure rounding a corner down the hall, but whenever Xukun would hurry over to check, the older boy would seem to have simply vanished. 

So Xukun had been anticipating the first meeting of the dance club, where, of course, he’d finally gotten to see Zhengting again. After talking with him again, however, there were several questions swirling around in his mind.

✱ 

At the moment, practice had ended and most of the club members were trickling out the door to return to their dorms to study, to hang out with friends or to rush off to another club activity. Xukun zipped up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and turned to see Zhengting chatting with Yanchen and a group that included Zeren, Justin and Chengcheng as he cleared away the equipment and tidied up the room. Xukun guessed that the other two boys, one tall and bright-looking and the other smaller with round cheeks, were Zhengting’s other children. He smiled and walked over to them.

“Do you need any help?” he asked, bending down to help pick up Zhengting’s water bottle and a pair of headphones.

Zhengting paused from talking with Yanchen and shook his head at him, returning his smile.

“Thanks, Xukun, don’t worry about it. We can manage it just fine. You don’t need to stay if you’ve got other things to do.”

“I want to, though,” Xukun said, unable to stop his eyes from trailing down Zhengting’s midsection, where his shirt had ridden up a little, probably from when he’d done a flip earlier. _Woah, those abs were seriously distracting._ His mind went blank. He must have made some sort of agonized noise, because Zhengting followed his gaze and yelped in embarrassment, tugging his shirt down in a flash. His face turned red as he quickly apologized to Xukun before heading off to the storage room. Xukun turned to the others, his head still spinning. 

Justin and Chengcheng smirked. 

When he came back out, Zhengting seemed to have calmed down and headed for the practice room door with the keys to lock up. They all left the room. Zhengting handed the keys to Yanchen after switching off the lights and locking the door. Yanchen fumbled to put the keys in his backpack while Zeren offered to help him.

“So, since we’re all here, I should introduce you guys,” Zhengting gestured at the group to Xukun. “You already know Justin and Chengcheng,” he said, as Justin grinned widely and flung his arms around Xukun, who stumbled back a little from the force of his embrace. 

“I’ve met Zeren, too,” he got out breathlessly, his voice muffled from Justin’s shirt. Zeren glanced over from where he and Yanchen had been talking together. Zhengting looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“That’s great,” he nodded as Justin finally let go so Xukun could breathe. “This is Xinchun,” Zhengting stepped aside so that Xukun could see the tall boy, “And this is Quanzhe, our cute little hamster.” He pushed the shorter boy forward, and Xukun smiled at the comparison. He had a sudden urge to squish Quanzhe’s round cheeks. The two boys waved timidly. 

“What about Wenjun ge?” Xukun heard Chengcheng ask quietly before Justin elbowed him in the side. They quickly looked over at Zhengting. Xukun furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

“Hey, can I call you Kun ge?” Justin suddenly asked, bouncing around him. 

“Sure…”

“Not fair! Can I?” Chengcheng scrambled over to join in the bouncing. As Xukun tentatively agreed, the rest of the boys joined in the noisy fray while Zhengting and Yanchen watched contentedly.

At Zhengting’s proud smile, Xukun felt a warm glow in his chest. It was like meeting his family.

With the introductions over, they spent a few minutes chatting and getting to know each other until Zhengting checked his watch.

“Wow, it’s late! We should get going,” he said, straightening up and grabbing his bag. The others nodded, starting down the hallway. 

Xukun fell in step beside Zhengting as they walked behind the rest of the group. He handed him his water bottle that he’d picked up.

“Thanks! So how are you liking university so far?” The fluffy-haired boy asked, a small smile on his face as he glanced at Xukun.

“I like it,” Xukun responded honestly. “All my classes are interesting, and there’s a lot more freedom than in high school. I’m really glad I didn’t end up taking finance or business instead,” he said, looking at the other quickly to see his reaction. _Does he still remember… ?_

Zhengting laughed, voice ringing out like music, and Xukun’s heartbeat sped up. 

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you chose something you like!”

_That’s it?_ Xukun’s bubble deflated. _I guess he still doesn’t remember. Oh well._ He could always give another hint later. 

“So how’s dorm life?” Zhengting questioned, taking a sip from his water bottle. “Are you getting used to it?”

“It’s nice! It’s really different from living at home but it’s really fun!” Xukun suddenly remembered his question. “I was wondering, do you live on campus too? I haven’t seen you around.” 

Zhengting pushed open the building door, stepping out into the open air. A slight breeze ruffled his fluffy hair as he turned back to Xukun.

“No, I moved to an apartment off campus this year. I’m sharing it with my old roommate, Bi Wenjun. It’s not too far, actually. It’s closer to the science faculty buildings where he works.” 

Xukun nodded absently, focusing on the way Zhengting’s smile made his whole face look radiant. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and took Zhengting’s arm, looking at him unwaveringly.

“Hey, is it okay if I bring another friend to join the club next time? His name’s Wang Ziyi and he likes dancing too. I think he would like to meet you since I told him about you.” He stood still, waiting for the other’s answer.

“Sure,” Zhengting replied, and Xukun felt a rush of happiness at the light pink blush dusting the other boy’s cheeks. “He’s definitely welcome.” Zhengting slowly pulled his arm away from Xukun’s grasp. “Bye, Xukun! See you at the next practice!” He waved, setting off down the path. “Bring your friend with you!”

Xukun grinned, feeling a rush of affection in his chest. 

_I can’t wait to see you, Zhengting._

* * *

The early evening light was fading as Zhengting arrived at the doors to the life sciences lab building. He’d helped the kids get settled in, helped them go over their course lessons and set up a movie for them to watch before leaving. 

The building was quiet, as it often was after classes were over for the day. Zhengting headed for the elevators without any difficulty. He was used to it and knew the place well enough after visiting habitually so often. He approached the laboratory, peering in through the tinted glass windows and knocking lightly against the door. 

After a moment, a shadow appeared on the other side and the door opened to reveal a tall figure who welcomed Zhengting with a warm smile.

“Wenjun!” Zhengting propelled forward into the other’s arms, delighted to finally see him again. “I missed you.” He buried his face in the other’s shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent.

“I missed you too, Zhengting,” Wenjun replied softly, squeezing Zhengting’s hand.

Wenjun was home. Wenjun was his constant, his comfort, his everything. Zhengting couldn’t imagine his life without him. 

✱

He’d first met Wenjun after dance practice one day when he’d first started elementary school. After school, he would bring little Justin and Chengcheng with him to dance class, where the younger kids would watch him or play in the waiting area. The dance classes had taken place in a building close to their school, next to a little park that they would always pass by on their way. One day, Zhengting had stayed longer than usual to practice his dancing even after the class had ended. When he’d finally come out, Justin and Chengcheng hadn’t been there in the waiting room like usual. Worried, Zhengting had run all over the building searching for them and asking other people whether anyone had seen them, but no one had. Zhengting had gone outside and looked around in the park. After searching in vain for a few minutes, he’d started to cry, panicked at the thought of losing his two younger friends. He’d been sure that his parents would have been furious if they’d ever found out. Suddenly, he’d heard a quiet voice singing from somewhere nearby. He’d stopped crying momentarily, wondering where it had been coming from. He’d listened to the soft voice, enraptured by the calming melodious sound, until he’d had a thought that Justin and Chengcheng must have also been nearby. He’d rushed toward the sound of the voice, tripping and tumbling through the bushes only to come face-to-face with a little boy he hadn’t known, who had stared at him in fright. After a brief moment, the other boy had approached him hesitantly, a little shyly. 

“Why are you crying?” he’d asked softly, and Zhengting had been taken aback by how the other boy had crouched down right next to him. Up close, the other boy had seemed incredibly refined, with his large eyes and delicate features set against his porcelain skin and his dark hair falling in waves across his forehead. He’d reached out to gently brush the tears from Zhengting’s face. Zhengting, who had been staring at him in wonder, had been abruptly jerked back to his predicament.

“I - I lost my f - friends,” he’d sniffled, the anguish rushing in on him again. 

“Hey,” the other boy had pulled him up gently and was observing him, “Don’t cry. My mom says that crying won’t help you solve anything.” At the sound of his voice, Zhengting had forced himself to take a deep breath.

“Were - were you the one who was singing?” he’d asked, and the other boy had blushed shyly before nodding a little. “I really liked it,” Zhengting had told him, and the other boy had smiled a little. 

“I don’t normally sing in front of people,” he’d whispered. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Zhu Zhengting. I like to dance! What’s yours?”

“Bi Wenjun. Here, if you tell me what your friends look like, I’ll help you look for them,” he’d offered. Zhengting had taken his hand, relieved.

“Okay!” The two of them had spent a long time searching for Justin and Chengcheng before finally finding both little children back at the dance class building, rolling around on the ground while waiting for Zhengting.

“Hey, Ting ge!” Justin had yelled, running up to Zhengting at the sight of him returning with Wenjun.

“Huang Minghao and Fan Chengcheng, where did you go? Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Zhengting had grabbed them, so angry that he’d scolded them severely until Justin had started bawling and Chengcheng had teared up. He’d finally stopped, gathering them in his arms, hugging them until they’d all calmed down. "Don't disappear without telling me ever again."

“Who’s that?” Justin had hiccupped, pointing. Zhengting had turned to see Wenjun sitting nearby, watching them silently. _He still hadn’t left?_ Zhengting had wondered. He’d gestured for Wenjun to join them. And it had all started from there.

Being closest to him in age in their group, Wenjun and Zhengting had formed a special bond. They’d ended up being in the same class at school the next year, and had become inseparable after that. Zhengting would often either be at Wenjun’s house or vice versa every day after school for years after, the two of them doing homework together and talking. Wenjun had a lot to say, Zhengting had noticed. Wenjun was very quiet most of the time, but Zhengting had been the first, Wenjun had told him, who truly listened to him and understood him. They’d become each other’s confidants, pouring out their deepest thoughts and emotions to each other, and there were no secrets between them. This strong level of trust between them had only tightened their bond. 

Wenjun was also good with the kids. He watched over them gently, guiding them silently and helping them when needed. He was very tolerant, but he would tell Zhengting about his problems and concerns in private. The kids loved when he would show his funny and quirky side, and they adored when he would get crazy with them. Justin and Chengcheng loved to curl up against his tall frame to watch TV, and Zeren and Quanzhe would always beg him to watch them dance and sing. Having Wenjun made his little family feel more complete, Zhengting had thought. Over the years, they’d joked that he was a father figure to them, just as Zhengting was their “mother”. 

Wenjun was a hard worker. Zhengting remembered when Wenjun would manage to get excellent grades even while helping the rest of the kids with their studies and helping out with his family. He’d discovered his passion in the sciences and medicine, and had been accepted with a scholarship into the life sciences program at the university. He’d even been recognized for his talent and accepted as an undergraduate researcher and was working as an assistant to his professor tirelessly every day. Zhengting knew how Wenjun was dedicated to his work. He could only imagine how much Wenjun must have sacrificed in order to make things the way he’d wanted.

Zhengting wasn’t sure when this special bond with Wenjun had turned _special_ in a different way. Perhaps it had started in high school. Or perhaps the feeling had always been there, but neither of them had realized it. Inside, he knew, and Wenjun knew, that they weren’t just simply friends anymore. Somewhere along the line, their feelings had run deeper, so deep that it had felt impossible for them to ignore them. Zhengting didn’t know if they were romantic, but somehow, things had definitely changed between them.

It was in the simple gestures. The way Wenjun would always make and bring him cups of tea whenever he knew that Zhengting had been stressed. The way Wenjun would offer him his jacket whenever he noticed that Zhengting was cold during their evening walks together. The way Wenjun would give in and sing for him whenever Zhengting begged him to and they were alone, his soft voice making Zhengting’s chest fill with warmth. The way Wenjun would give him something to wish him good luck whenever Zhengting had a test or exam. The way Wenjun never missed a single one of Zhengting’s dance performances, even if he was insanely busy. The way Wenjun would give him an extra encouraging smile, just for him, before they separated in the mornings. The way Wenjun would call him and listen patiently without complaint whenever Zhengting needed to let out his emotions, even for hours late at night. The way Zhengting’s hand would automatically reach for Wenjun’s whenever he needed comfort, and Wenjun would always be there to give it.

It was the simple gestures that made Zhengting believe their relationship had gone beyond just friendship, and that Wenjun felt the same as he did. 

What Zhengting loved about Wenjun, most of all, was how _gentle_ the other always was. He loved the way Wenjun would take care of him whenever he got an injury, as though Zhengting was the most fragile and delicate thing. He loved the way Wenjun’s fingers would brush lightly against his skin as he would lean in to tuck in a loose strand of Zhengting’s hair, or rub gently at a bruise he’d gotten from practice. He loved the way Wenjun would tie his tie for him before a show, his familiar warm smile making his eyes twinkle as he stared at Zhengting with pride. He loved the way Wenjun would comfort the kids whenever they were upset with his calming aura.

Wenjun was a big part of his life. But with his work in the lab keeping him so busy, Zhengting had found that it was getting harder and harder for him to spend time with Wenjun like he’d used to. He also saw him far less frequently than before. 

Zhengting missed him.

✱

Zhengting pulled away after a moment to study Wenjun’s face. 

“You should take a break,” he said, reaching out to touch the space under Wenjun’s eyes. “I brought you something to eat.” He took out the food that he’d picked up at the cafeteria before coming over to the lab, right as they had been about to close. He got out a pair of chopsticks and started to open a box as Wenjun watched him with a soft smile. “I can feed you if you’d like,” Zhengting teased, grinning as he leaned even closer.

“No food is allowed in the lab, you know,” Wenjun replied with a laugh as he moved to take off his lab coat and gloves. He sighed. “I have to finish calculating today’s data.”

Zhengting stood and went over to help him. 

“You can finish it later. Let’s go outside so you can eat.” He led Wenjun out of the lab and down the hallway.

“But I don’t want you to wait too long for me again,” Wenjun frowned as they rode down the elevator. “It’ll end up being really late when we get back to the apartment. You should go to sleep earlier.”

“Don’t be silly; when would I ever not wait for you? I don’t want you to be alone,” Zhengting turned to him unhappily, “I think it’s really unfair that you’re the only one who keeps working here after everyone else has gone home. Even the professor doesn’t stick around this late. You shouldn’t have to work so hard all the time.”

Wenjun took Zhengting’s hand to placate him, entwining their fingers together as they exited the building. The cooler night air made Zhengting relax as the two of them sat on a bench under a streetlamp. Zhengting passed Wenjun the food and a bottle of water, making sure he ate and drank before he went off to work again.

“You know, I met that new student again today, the one I told you about. He met the kids, too.”

“Oh really?” Wenjun asked, feeding Zhengting a spoonful of his food. “What was his name again?”

“Cai Xukun,” Zhengting mumbled as he chewed. “He’s really nice. And he’s super handsome.” He swallowed, stealing a sip from Wenjun’s bottle of water. 

“More handsome than me?” Wenjun teased, widening his eyes at Zhengting with a slight pout. Zhengting’s face grew hot. He was glad it was dark enough to go unnoticed.

“Maybe,” he said, just to see Wenjun pout some more. “I’m kidding, Wenjun. You’re both handsome.” He paused, making himself comfortable against Wenjun’s side. “The kids want you to spend time with them. Justin was really sad that he couldn’t see you yesterday. Do you think we could invite them to the apartment sometime?”

Wenjun contemplated for a moment.

“If they really want, I’ll try to take some time off so I can be free this weekend,” he said, smiling at Zhengting’s excited look.

“Really? You will? You’re amazing, Wenjun.” Zhengting sighed contentedly.

“Well, it’s good that you know it,” Wenjun grinned, gently pulling him to stand up. 

“I do, I do,” Zhengting laughed as they headed back inside up to the lab again.

He couldn’t wait for the weekend. For now, though, he was content to wait for Wenjun for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was long. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Please consider leaving a review! :)


	3. Uncertain Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhengting's hopes are unintentionally dashed and Xukun is confused at what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been insanely busy and this chapter just seemed to take forever :( !  
> I hope you still enjoy it, though!

In all honesty, Xukun had been anticipating the next dance club practice a lot more than usual. It was probably accurate to say that it was what he’d been pondering about all morning. He’d spent some time thinking about how he could get Zhengting to remember him and their meeting in the past, and had been debating whether or not to keep giving the older student some more hints. 

On one hand, he’d been hoping that Zhengting would remember him on his own and be extremely surprised. On the other… maybe it was a better idea to forget the past and start over again with him from scratch. Maybe he could actually build something special with Zhengting this time.

Xukun mulled over this dilemma while trying to follow the lesson in his music composition class, clicking his pen on and off at an increasingly fast pace as his thoughts tumbled around messily in his head.

“Hey, bro, are you okay?” Ziyi stopped his hand with a concerned look. Xukun blinked, feeling Ziyi’s firm grip around his fingers. “You’ve been distracted all day. Is something bothering you?” 

Xukun sent the other students around them an apologetic look before setting down his pen. 

“I don’t know,” he sighed quietly, slinking downwards and ducking his head from view. Luckily, the professor hadn’t turned over from the board. Xukun breathed a sigh of relief. “I have a lot of things on my mind.”

Ziyi sent him a sympathetic look, patting his hand before leaning back in his seat and passing him a bottle of water.

“Here, drink some water and relax, Kun. Whatever’s on your mind, I’m sure you can handle it.”

Xukun accepted, compliantly swallowing a few sips. He glanced at Ziyi gratefully, then sat up straight again.

“So are you coming with me to dance club practice today? You can finally meet Zhengting!”

Ziyi gave him a doubtful look.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to just come along? I won’t be interfering with the practice?”

“Zhengting said to bring you,” Xukun shook his head, “He said you were welcome. So it’s definitely okay.”

“Alright then, bro. I’ll come with you,” Ziyi conceded, and Xukun grinned, satisfied. Just then, the bell rang and the class was dismissed. All the students began packing their belongings before trickling over to the door. 

Xukun gathered his things before shoving them in his bag and standing up. Before he could leave, though, he felt a tap on his shoulder and spun around to see a girl he didn’t recognize smiling back at him a little shyly. He supposed she was also in his class. He hesitated, gaze flicking between the door and the girl. He was impatient to get to the basketball court for a game and wasn’t in the mood to be deterred.

“Hi, Xukun,” the girl stepped even closer, sadly blocking his escape route. “I’m, uh, not too sure that I understood the lesson today. I heard that you’re doing really well in this class… could you please explain the material to me?” She blushed, looking up at him hopefully. Another group of girls behind her watched, giggling and whispering amongst themselves. Xukun resisted the urge to stare at the flow of students leaving through the doorway. He settled for a polite smile instead.

“Sorry, but I really have to get going to the basketball team practice. Maybe some other time?” He tried to move away from her as discreetly as possible.

“Yeah, sure, thanks!” The girl replied enthusiastically with a wide smile. “I’ll come look for you later, then!” 

Xukun nodded distractedly, grabbing Ziyi by the arm and heading out of the classroom. The group of girls, still giggling, trailed after them. Xukun exchanged a glance with Ziyi, who shrugged.

“What can I say? You’re popular, bro.”

“You’re pretty good yourself,” Xukun said back as they navigated their way through the crowded hallways. Ziyi was a very hardworking student, and Xukun knew that he was extremely kind to everyone, so it made sense that he would be well-liked by others. Xukun was proud of his best friend. They turned the corner to the main entrance to the music building and joined the crowd of students filing out. 

_I’m sure Zhengting probably has a lot of admirers too,_ Xukun thought privately. 

* * *

“So our first practice will be at the start of next week. I’ll post an announcement about it today,” Yixing handed him a stack of papers from his desk for him to look through. “Do you think you can handle this position?”

Zhengting nodded, gripping the papers tightly. He definitely wanted this.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Yixing smiled, motioning for him to relax. 

“That’s good to hear. I have faith in you, Zhengting. I know I can trust you to lead the team well. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come find me, okay?” He smiled wider, his dimples showing. Zhengting found them distractingly captivating.

“Thank you, Professor,” he bowed, grinning in excitement. 

Zhang Yixing was the head of the performing arts department, and also was the one supervising the competitive dance team. On top of that, he was a legendary instructor who taught dance specifically to senior students. Zhengting had been lucky enough to get noticed by him during a showcase performance during his first year. He really admired Yixing’s skills and looked up to him as a mentor. Zhengting was ecstatic yet nervous to have the chance to work with him in leading the competitive dance team.

“Meet me at the office on Monday,” Yixing stood and moved towards the door to head out. “I’ll have the schedules ready by then.”

“Okay,” Zhengting followed him, reveling once again from Yixing’s smile. “I’ll be there. Bye, Professor.”

“See you, Zhengting,” Yixing nodded at him. Zhengting turned and walked down the hall towards the exit, mentally calculating the amount of time he would need to spend planning every meet. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. There was definitely a lot of pressure, being chosen when he was only a second-year student, and working with someone as skilled as Zhang Yixing. He wondered how crazy his schedule was going to get, especially since he still had to take care of the kids.

The building was relatively quiet at this time, with many students just finishing up in class. As Zhengting got into the elevator, he looked over to see another person enter with him.

“Hey, Zhengting! Did you just have a meeting for the dance team?” the shorter figure asked with a wide grin. Zhengting couldn’t help but smile back, his anxiety lifting temporarily.

“Hi Zhangjing! Yes, I did. How about you? Were you with Professor Li Ronghao?”

“Yep!” Zhangjing said, then placed a hand over his stomach. “Gosh, I sure am ready for lunch! I’m starving!”

“Already? It’s still early,” Zhengting shook his head with a laugh, glancing at his watch. It was just about time for Justin and Chengcheng’s first class to end. 

You Zhangjing was one of Zhengting’s friends in his music class, and often worked as a teacher’s assistant for Li Ronghao, the head music professor. Zhangjing was a bubbly, cheerful person who loved to crack jokes and had a talent for singing. The only thing rivalling his singing was his incredible ability to eat such a large amount of food for his little body. 

“I can’t wait to try out that new curry dish in the cafeteria today,” Zhangjing continued as the elevator stopped at the ground floor. They stepped out and headed towards the doors. “Do you want to join me? I can tell you about how Professor Li Ronghao made fun of Zhou Rui in class this morning! Xingjie and Xiao Gui pulled a prank on him and it was totally hilarious!”

“I do, but I’ve got to pick up the kids,” Zhengting sighed, smiling apologetically back at Zhangjing, who pulled on his arm with a pout. “Next time for sure,” he promised. “I can’t wait to get the scoop on Zhou Rui’s daily dose of misfortune!” He giggled along as Zhangjing laughed out loud.

“Next time, then,” the smaller boy said with a grin, “Good luck with the dance team!” Zhengting nodded, waving to him as he started down the path towards the music building. 

It was still hot outside, the last vestiges of summer keeping the weather bright and sunny. Zhengting shielded his eyes from the sun as he approached the music building a few minutes later. Class had just ended and a swarm of students were streaming out towards him. He exhaled, weaving a path through the crowd. His brain was all scrambled from thinking about leading the dance team. The sweltering heat definitely didn’t help.

He hoped that Justin and Chengcheng wouldn’t make him wait for too long.

* * *

Xukun was about to go down the stairs outside the doors with Ziyi when he spotted a familiar figure on the path below. His heart jumped and without another thought, he grabbed Ziyi’s hand and took off racing down the steps, dragging his friend behind him. Ziyi, shocked, grabbed tightly onto Xukun’s in order not to trip over his own feet as he tried to keep up with Xukun’s almost impossible speed. They swerved in and out throughout the crowd and barely avoided crashing into other students. Ziyi almost broke his nose when he got smacked in the face with another student's backpack as they continued their rush past the stairs.

“Bro, what’s wrong? Why are we running?” Xukun was dimly aware of his friend’s voice as he skidded to a stop in front of his target, excitement fizzing in his chest. 

“Zhengting!” he called, a wide smile blooming on his face. Zhengting was walking towards the building, reading from a stack of papers in his hands. The dancer glanced up in surprise as Xukun waved at him, stopping as he drew near. 

“Hi, Xukun,” Zhengting said back a little absently, giving Xukun a slight smile. He seemed to be preoccupied with something, expression a little tense and his mouth pressed in a firm line. Xukun studied him carefully, concerned. He wondered if Zhengting was alright. 

He heard a light cough from next to him, then saw Zhengting’s gaze switch over to Ziyi curiously, before flickering down to where the latter was still holding tightly onto Xukun’s hand. Zhengting raised his eyes back to Xukun’s face, glancing between him and Ziyi blankly. Xukun quickly introduced them.

“This is my friend Wang Ziyi, the one I mentioned who’s coming to dance club practice,” he said brightly. He looked at Ziyi. “And this is Zhengting, who I told you about.” He’d thought he would introduce them later at dance practice, but this was a good opportunity as well.

Ziyi reached out to shake Zhengting’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, bro. I’ve heard a lot about you from Kun,” he smiled, “He’s right, you really are pretty.”

“Thanks,” Zhengting replied, smiling back hesitantly. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Xukun watched his gaze trail down Ziyi’s tall figure as he fidgeted, a little subdued.

Xukun tilted his head. Why didn’t Zhengting seem as cheerful and energetic as before? His eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle, which definitely didn’t feel right. Xukun suddenly realized that he’d been staring again and rapidly schooled his expression. 

“Do you have class here?” he asked Zhengting, then mentally smacked himself. They’d just been dismissed and classes wouldn’t start again until the afternoon. Of course that wasn’t the case. Ugh. Why wasn’t his brain working properly?.

Zhengting just smiled at him without comment.

“No, I’m here to pick up Justin and Chengcheng,” he answered, just as they heard a loud _“Ting ge!”_ and Justin himself ran over to drape his body over Zhengting’s shoulders. Chengcheng followed shortly after, hurrying to join the hugging session. Zhengting stumbled forward from the force, then turned to give both of them a resigned smile. “Hi, guys, how was class?” he asked, reaching up to ruffle Justin’s hair.

“It was great!” Chengcheng told him, a smug grin on his face, “The professor said that my rapping was good,” he elbowed Justin, “Better than yours.”

“Hey!” Justin scowled at him, smacking him on the arm, “That’s not true! Stop lying, Chengcheng! He likes me better, anyway.”

“He never said that!” Chengcheng taunted.

“He doesn’t need to say it! I could tell from the way he looks at me! We understand each other. Unlike with you, he always has to actually say it out loud and spell out his compliments just so that you don’t feel inferior. It’s the only way to get anything through your thick head.”

“Oh, so you admit that he does give me compliments! And that must be why you always have to blabber to the whole world about how you’re smart; it’s to convince yourself so that you won’t feel inferior!”

“Just because your head is second-largest to Quanzhe’s doesn’t mean you’re smarter than me,” Justin huffed, “I tell you because it really is true!”

“And the professor compliments me because he really does think I’m better than you,” Chengcheng quipped. “Plus, I’m not as addle-brained as Quanzhe, so you can’t compare us!”

“Well, I’m Ting ge’s favourite, and he knows I’m smarter, so _ha_!”

Xukun found their banter tremendously amusing, but he was starting to get a little dizzy from the rapid firing of insults between them. He shook his head, then turned to Ziyi. His best friend was watching the two kids back and forth in rapt fascination. Xukun tried not to laugh at the amazed look on his face.

Zhengting shook his head in exasperation as the two younger kids continued arguing, then stepped between them with narrowed eyes. 

“What makes you think you can make fun of Quanzhe?” he asked calmly, and the two younger kids suddenly gulped. “Don’t mess with my favourite child.” His expression was not pleased. However, Xukun could see that he was trying not to laugh.

“But he really isn’t as clever as me,” Chengcheng grumbled, and Zhengting smacked him. 

“Fan Chengcheng, if you keep this up, I will cancel our plans of taking you out with Wenjun this weekend. You’ll be spending the time studying instead,” he threatened. “Same for you, Justin. I’m serious.”

Their eyes went wide, and they immediately shook their heads. 

“Ting ge, I’m sorry, I was wrong!” Justin hurried to latch onto Zhengting’s arm pleadingly. “Please don’t do that! I’ll be good, I promise! Better than Quanzhe!”

Chengcheng nodded emphatically. Zhengting raised an eyebrow, a small smile threatening to creep up. 

“I highly doubt you can be better than my favourite child,” he said dryly, then relented and squeezed Justin in a hug, “But I would appreciate it if you tried. It would be great not to have to worry about you two for a while. I’m going to be really busy from now on.”

“Okay,” Justin and Chengcheng chorused, and Xukun blinked, astounded by their sudden obedience. And how quickly their argument had ended.

“Come on, let’s get back to your dorm and I’ll make you something to eat,” Zhengting handed both kids a water bottle, then began to turn away, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Xukun wondered why Zhengting wasn’t drinking any. He was looking pretty hot as well. In more than one way. 

“Wait!” he said before he could think about it, “I’m about to have a game with the basketball team soon. Do you, um, want to come watch?” he faltered a little under Zhengting’s inquisitive gaze. He didn’t want the other boy to leave so soon. _He seems stressed and I want to help him relax a little._ Xukun just wanted to see Zhengting’s eyes light up again.

“What? But we - ” Zhengting started to reply, uncertain, before he was interrupted by the kids.

“Yeah! I want to! I always wanted to see another game!” Justin cheered. “Kun ge’s really good at it!”

“Me too! Come on, let’s go, Zhengting ge!” Chengcheng bounced along with him. “Please!”

The two of them pulled on Zhengting’s arms until he gave up, overwhelmed.

“Fine, I guess we can. I suppose it’ll be fun. Let me text Zeren and the others where we are.” He fiddled with his phone while Xukun beamed widely. _Yes!_ Ziyi smiled at him knowingly.

“Yay!” Justin and Chengcheng high-fived, then raised their hands to Xukun and Ziyi, who laughed while slapping their palms with their own. 

“Zhengting, you actually seem like their caretaker,” Ziyi remarked, “They listen to you well.” Xukun rather thought so too.

“Nah, he’s like our mom!” Chengcheng told him, and Justin nodded vigorously in agreement. “A really fussy mom at that,” Chengcheng leaped away as Zhengting moved to hit him again. Xukun couldn’t help but laugh at his indignant expression. 

The little group began travelling towards the outdoor basketball court on the other side of the school. Xukun waited a little for Zhengting to catch up before walking next to him. The older boy looked at him with a small smile.

“Sorry about the kids. They can be quite a handful. It’s really nice of you to invite us to your game,” Zhengting bit his lip, shy, “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“No, it’s okay. I really want you to come watch,” Xukun replied, trying to tear his eyes away from where they’d been fixed on Zhengting’s mouth. “You’ll bring me good luck! And I want to spend more time with you.” He was rewarded with a faint blush colouring Zhengting’s cheeks as the other boy looked away, embarrassed. Xukun absolutely loved seeing that pink colour. He moved even closer to the other boy, so that their shoulders were nearly touching.

“I-it was great to meet your friend,” Zhengting fumbled around, a little flustered, “He seems to be getting along with Justin and Chengcheng.” Xukun looked ahead to see the two excited kids chatting animatedly with Ziyi and grinned. “Sorry, I think I wasn’t too friendly with him earlier. I was just - distracted,” Zhengting apologized, his flush deepening. 

Xukun searched his face carefully.

“Don’t worry about it. Is everything alright? It seems like there’s something bothering you. I can tell,” he added when Zhengting’s head shot up to look at him in surprise. “You look kind of stressed.” 

“… You’re really perceptive,” Zhengting muttered quietly, lowering his head. 

_So are you,_ Xukun thought, referring to how Zhengting had helped him when they’d first met. He didn’t say it out loud, though, waiting for Zhengting to continue.

“It’s okay. I’m just going to be pretty busy from now on, but it’ll be fine.”

Xukun wished Zhengting would be comfortable enough with him to share what was bothering him, but he supposed he shouldn’t pry. Instead, he offered a smile, slowing his pace.

“If you ever need help with anything, just let me know. I wouldn’t mind helping at all! Don’t forget, okay?” He stared resolutely in the other’s eyes to make sure he understood.

The surprised look lingered on Zhengting’s face for a moment before he reached out to touch Xukun’s arm gratefully.

“Thanks, Xukun. That’s really kind of you,” he said softly, and Xukun felt his heart jump in his ribcage. 

The group was welcomed at the basketball court with the sound of yelling voices and balls being dribbled and ricocheting off the backboard. 

“Hey, guys! Xukun is here! We can start now!” a super-tall player named Bu Fan hollered at his teammates. Xukun was suddenly rapidly surrounded by a group of other players, impatient to start the game. There was cheering coming from a crowd of girls nearby.

“Good luck, bro,” Ziyi clapped him on the back, “I’m sure you’ll do great.” 

“Thanks. I’m going to go change,” he waved at Ziyi, Zhengting and the kids. In a rush, he grabbed Zhengting’s arm and squeezed it before leaving. “Just getting some good luck from you,” he grinned.

“Then I’ll give you all of it,” Zhengting giggled back, waving. Xukun full-out smiled and watched them find their seats up on the benches on the sides before he was towed away by Bu Fan and the rest of the team.

🞘⯁🞘

Throughout the game, Xukun felt a rush of exhilaration at the thought of Zhengting watching him. Everything went smoothly, and time seemed to breeze by. The whole atmosphere felt wonderful, especially each time he heard a hint of Zhengting’s voice cheering or looked over to see Zhengting beaming at him from the stands. _You really do give me good luck, Zhengting._

Xukun noted, with satisfaction, that Zhengting’s eyes were once again incandescent. 

* * *

“Hey! Shorty! We’re over here!” Justin and Chengcheng waved wildly at the figures arriving at the basketball court just as the game was about to start. Zhengting watched as Zeren (with a sour expression) and Quanzhe waved back, climbing up to their saved seats. The basketball team was surprisingly popular, with a large number of students coming over to watch the practice between classes. It had been rather hard to save some space for the kids, especially in the only spot with a bit of shade. Zhengting had already been elbowed in the side at least three times by a rather large and sweaty student next to him in the span of a few minutes. 

“Here’s the drinks you asked us to bring,” Zeren passed Zhengting a bag with several bottles of cold drinks from the convenience store that he’d bought on the way, plopping down next to Chengcheng.

“Thanks, I really need one,” Zhengting released Quanzhe from where he’d been hugging him and opened one, taking a long sip. Gosh, he was seriously thirsty. “Where’s Xinchun?” he asked, wiping his mouth. He handed drinks to the other kids, who immediately began gulping them down. 

“He was working on a project in a spare room with a classmate when I went to find him,” Zeren replied, his eyes focused on the players down below. “Which was funny, because I think his partner is kind of crazy. He was talking a million miles a minute and running around and almost took my eye out with a pencil.”

Zhengting raised his eyebrows, concerned. He would have to go take a look at this guy sometime.

“Wow, I hope Xinchun will be okay. He won’t get killed, right? Why didn’t you get him to come?”

“He was laughing,” Zeren looked at him pointedly. “Harder than the other guy. I bet the library kicked them out.” He shook his head at Zhengting’s dumbfounded look. “Anyway, why did you decide to come to a basketball game? Since when were you interested in this?”

“It’s because of _someone,_ obviously,” Chengcheng leaned in, smirking. “Someone _interesting._ It’s that guy named Ca - ”

_“Chengcheng,”_ Zhengting said in a deadly calm voice while giving him dagger eyes. “Shush.”

Zeren frowned, prodding Zhengting’s arm. 

“Oh, come on, Zhengting ge, who is it? Tell me! How come Chengcheng knows but I don’t?” Quanzhe nodded along with a small pout and Zhengting squirmed. _Oh no, not you, Quanzhe… Resist, resist…_

Zhengting was saved by Justin’s excited voice calling them. 

“Guys! Look, the game’s starting! Kun ge’s so awesome! I’m telling you, he’s really good!” 

Just then, the players got into position, the referee ready to throw the ball up, and a sudden silence fell over the crowd. Without even having to jump, Bu Fan slapped the airborne ball away to another player on his team, who passed it to Xukun, who dribbled and began making his way over to the opposing team’s side of the court.

Justin was right, Zhengting realized. Xukun was good. Incredible, even. Zhengting could tell that he was the best player on the team even though he had practically zero knowledge about basketball himself. Zeren and Chencheng had to continuously explain what was going on for him to understand.

“Why does the other team get the ball now?” Zhengting squinted, squishing closer to them (and further from the sweaty guy on his other side).

“It’s a backcourt violation.”

“What about now? How come they stopped?”

“Because it just went out of bounds.”

“… ?” 

“It’s a foul.” Zeren put his hand on Chengcheng’s shoulder to quell his impatience. 

“Oh.”

Justin, on the other hand, had his eyes glued to the game, following the ball and the players without speaking except to cheer every time someone scored or Xukun’s team had the ball. 

Indeed, Xukun was good. Zhengting found Xukun mesmerizing to watch. He weaved around the other players impossibly quickly, his agile figure allowing him to slip between defenders and score again almost effortlessly. Although he wasn’t the tallest member on the team, Zhengting admired the sight of his long legs and the length of his strides as he ran. Zhengting stood up, clapping and cheering proudly with the others as Xukun scored another two points for his team. Xukun paused and waved, smiling right at him, and Zhengting’s stomach suddenly felt jittery. He’d never experienced such enthusiasm at a basketball game before, not even when he’d watched Wenjun play in elementary school. 

It was at this point that he noticed Xingjie and Xiao Gui a few rows below, both of them yelling something indistinguishable with obvious fervour. Zhengting pointed them out to Chengcheng, who tried to call their names. The spectators were too loud and rowdy for them to hear, though. Zhengting was unfortunately subjected to several more jabs to his side from the sweaty guy next to him. Ouch. Seeing Xingjie and Xiao Gui gave him an idea, however. _Yanchen could put Sweaty Dude in his place,_ he thought, getting out his phone. He was confident in the power of his best friend’s smile. Plus, anyone who was friends with Xingjie must have picked up a thing or two on how to be intimidating.

“Hey, you guys don’t mind if I call Yanchen over, right?”

Zeren suddenly turned to him. “Of course not! Is he coming?” Chengcheng sent him a thumbs-up.

Zhengting nodded, sending Yanchen a text before returning to the game. 

It was halftime break and Zhengting escaped from his seat, going down the steps to see Xukun. A thick crowd of students were gathered around the players, making it rather difficult for Zhengting to push his way through. It mostly comprised of squealing girls, he noticed. They were all waving, holding out T-shirts and towels and squeezing in towards Xukun, who had just stepped off the court. _Wow, Xukun is really popular,_ Zhengting thought, discouraged. He’d never realized. Well, Xukun was really handsome and nice, and so talented after all, he figured. He supposed he wouldn’t get a chance to see him, not with all those people screaming for his attention. As Zhengting was about to turn and leave, he suddenly caught Xukun’s eye briefly in a flash before he got shoved aside by the crowd.

“Zhengting!” he heard Xukun call, and the screaming abruptly stopped. He froze. Xukun picked his way through to the other side of the crowd, heading for him with a wide smile, and Zhengting’s heart started hammering in his chest as all those pairs of eyes turned to him. “I’m so happy you came!” Xukun wiped his face with a hand while still beaming at him.

Zhengting hurriedly handed him a bottle of water he’d brought, a matching smile spreading on his face.

“Woah, you look like you’re melting! Here, drink this.” He watched, amused, as Xukun pressed the cold bottle to the side of his face, sighing at the coolness before unscrewing the cap and taking a large sip. Zhengting dug around in his pockets for a handkerchief, hesitantly drawing even closer to wipe off Xukun's sweat. He could feel the younger’s eyes fixed on him as he dabbed gently at his sweaty hair and face. 

“Thank you,” Xukun said, looking at him sincerely as he took another drink. Zhengting found it rather hard to breathe with him so close.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Zhengting prattled nervously, “I always have to take care of the kids like this, especially Justin; you won’t believe how sticky and disgusting he gets after practice, at least you’re not as gross and steamy as he is - ” He stopped as Xukun started laughing, placing a hand on Zhengting’s arm. 

“Thanks, Zhengting,” he said again, “You really do give me good luck.”

“You didn’t need any, you were amazing!” Zhengting told him, his face getting even hotter. He blamed it on the midday heat. “I could tell even though I didn’t know what was going on most of the time!” His chest fluttered as Xukun laughed again. “Seriously, though, you must really like it if you’re this good. It was super exciting!”

“Does that mean you’ll come to my other games then?” Xukun looked at him expectantly, and Zhengting, drawn into his shining, profound eyes, found himself nodding without having to think. It was even harder to look away from Xukun’s brilliant smile in response. 

There was a sudden whistling noise, and the other players began returning onto the court, signalling the end of halftime.

“I have to go now,” Xukun squeezed his arm apologetically. “I’ll look for you after the game, okay?”

“Okay! I’m sure you’ll win!” Zhengting encouraged, then stopped short as Xukun stepped closer, so that they were barely a few centimetres apart, and leaned in to touch Zhengting’s forehead gently with his own. Zhengting stopped breathing as he felt Xukun’s bangs brush lightly against his face and the tingling heat that greeted his touch. He stared, shocked, as Xukun pulled away after a moment, eyes twinkling.

“Just charging up on your luck!” he grinned then waved, jogging back through the crowd towards his teammates. Zhengting was left red-faced and stunned, a smile tugging at his lips. He realized the game was about to start and hurried back to his seat, aware of the stares and whispers at him from the spectators. Sweaty Dude gave him a critical look at his arrival and huffed.

“What was that?” Chengcheng and Justin demanded as he slid into his seat. Justin was eyeing him unnervingly. “Why did Kun ge do that to you?” Zhengting tried to hide the redness of his face.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He didn’t know what Xukun was thinking. All he knew was that he liked the way they were becoming closer. It made him feel special… that Xukun would pay attention to him and be willing to spend time with him even though he was so busy and popular. It gave him a giddy feeling.

Just then, he spotted a familiar face making his way up the steps, whose smile discouraged any complaints from around him. 

“Yanchen!” Zhengting called, and his friend beamed, skipping over and squeezing in next to him. Sweaty Dude looked disgruntled, but didn’t object when Yanchen turned his sunflower smile in his direction. Zhengting sighed in relief. Yanchen waved to the kids, who all waved back happily. Zeren in particular stared at him for a good moment before Yanchen looked away, leaning towards Zhengting.

“So why are you guys here?” he asked, and Zhengting shrugged, handing him his water bottle.

“To see Xukun’s game,” he replied, eyes trained on Xukun’s running figure below. Yanchen got a scheming look in his eye again as he took a sip.

“Really? And why would you do that?”

“Because he asked, and the kids wanted to come,” Zhengting shot back. “Don’t get any ideas. Plus, Xingjie and Xiao Gui are here too.” He pointed in their general direction as Yanchen grinned.

“You seem strangely smiley today,” he continued, peering closely at Zhengting. “Did anything good happen?” 

“Yeah, Kun ge and him had a lovey-dovey moment earlier,” Chengcheng joined in, and Yanchen’s eyes widened. “Everyone witnessed it.” Zhengting had a strange urge to pinch his own child. 

“We did not,” he hissed, his ears burning in betrayal. Yanchen didn’t look convinced.

“Even a fool could tell that you like him,” he said, moving closer to keep their talk private, “You look at him all starry-eyed, you turn into a rambling mess when you talk with him, and you even came for his game even though you hate basketball.” 

“I don’t hate it,” Zhengting retorted, but he could tell that the effect was lost. Yanchen squeezed his hand.

“I think Xukun likes you too, if the way he looks at you is any indication,” he whispered, and Zhengting’s head shot up.

“That’s not true,” he said, because he couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t even sure what his feelings were for Xukun. He just liked seeing the younger smile at him and looked forward to their interactions. And Xukun seemed to enjoy being with him too. Zhengting had thought that it was because that was simply how he was with everyone. But Yanchen was pretty good at deciphering people. And what he said… well, that gave Zhengting a tiny sliver of hope that maybe… Xukun felt the same way that he did. 

Loud cheering shook Zhengting out of his thoughts, and he focused back on the game. Xukun’s team was in the lead, he noticed, and there was only a few minutes before the game was over. All the students were watching with bated breath as Xukun’s team got the ball again. Zhengting clutched onto Yanchen’s arm, anxious. In the last minute, Xukun received the ball, then turned, scanning the seats above, singling out Zhengting and giving him a wave and a quick smile, making Zhengting practically tremble in anticipation. Then he turned and took a shot, scoring one final time before the game was over. His team won, and the whole place was filled with wild cheering. Zhengting saw Justin and the other kids leap to their feet, jumping and screaming. He felt Yanchen shaking him, radiating his sunflower smile. But he could only concentrate on Xukun, being surrounded by his teammates, laughing and cheering and looking like he was glowing. 

He rushed out of his seat as the spectators started to leave, stumbling down the steps towards the court. He felt light and floaty as he waved his arms at Xukun, a smile splitting his face.

Then he stopped halfway, his stomach sinking.

The crowd was drifting away, heading off to their next classes, but a group of girls remained, chattering and laughing loudly, encircling Xukun. And Xukun - Xukun was talking with Ziyi in the midst of them all. Zhengting hadn't even seen Ziyi leave his seat. The two of them were chatting animatedly, with matching smiles on their faces, laughing and looking so comfortable with each other, it made Zhengting's body feel heavy with some unknown emotion. Zhengting watched as Xukun reached out to clasp Ziyi’s hand, bumping their shoulders together. He didn’t look up once in Zhengting’s direction. As if he’d already forgotten all about him.

_Yanchen was wrong,_ Zhengting thought, as he dropped his gaze to the ground. His excited feeling had long faded away. Xukun didn’t like him after all. At least, he didn’t like Zhengting in any special way. He’d known Ziyi for so long, who held his hand and called him _Kun,_ and they were probably close like Zhengting was with Wenjun. In any case, Zhengting wasn't as important, he knew.

There was no point in fooling himself any longer. 

He felt Yanchen’s hand on his back and turned to him without comment. Yanchen was looking at him apologetically, and Zhengting sent him a tiny smile.

“Let’s go,” he said, and let Yanchen lead him away. He didn’t want to think about Xukun anymore. 

It would be meaningless, anyway. 

🞘⯁🞘

His stress had returned in full force. Zhengting had momentarily forgotten about the whole dance team business during the basketball game, but he had no way out of it when he showed up for club practice that afternoon. Not when Chaoze and Zeren were asking him about it the moment he’d entered the practice room. It was enough to distract him from Xukun’s presence, though. Ziyi had joined the club, and it had been interesting to watch him demonstrate some of his skills to the other members. He’d been surprisingly good, skilled enough that Zhengting almost considered recruiting him for the competitive team. 

Xukun was helping Ziyi stretch and run through the choreography they’d learned, and Zhengting found it relatively easy to keep out of his way. There was only so much stress he could take at a time. 

“There are a few new members I found who could join our team,” Chaoze was saying on top of the music, and Zhengting nodded, grabbing a spare sheet of paper and dragging him out of the practice room so he could hear better. 

“I’ll talk to Yixing about it,” he said back, handing Chaoze a pen. “Could you write down their names? I’ll show it to him and he can evaluate them next time.” 

Chaoze began to write, telling him about who he thought had good potential abilities to join their team. Zhengting barely listened. He was mentally calculating how much time he had to accomplish all the things he needed to get done. 

Because of that, he rushed to pack up his things early and left right when practice ended, leaving Yanchen to lock up. Yanchen didn’t complain, though, and Zhengting was grateful.

* * *

Xukun had a peculiar feeling as he walked off the court with Ziyi, past the horde of giggling girls and back towards the school buildings. 

After the game, he’d basked in the team’s victory along with the others, hugging and cheering and trying not to get crushed by Bu Fan. He’d seen Xingjie and Xiao Gui waving at him from the crowd, and Ziyi had come down to congratulate him. 

“Amazing, bro. I knew you could do it. Your record’s so good, I’m sure they’ll let you play on the senior team soon.”

“You think so? I’d look like a baby next to them. I think only Bu Fan would pass off as a member, but he’s like the biggest baby out there.”

“Did you know he likes to be called Xiao Fan Fan?” Ziyi had asked, and they’d both cracked up. “Seriously, though - that doesn’t suit him at all.”

They’d talked about the game and joked around like usual, until mostly everyone had gone. And then Xukun had looked around for Zhengting - and had seen him walking away with Yanchen and the kids. 

It had made him feel strange and a little disappointed. He’d stared down at the water bottle Zhengting had given him. Why hadn’t Zhengting come over to say goodbye?

“So now you’re going to dance practice, right?” Ziyi asked as they arrived at their dorm building. Right. That would be a good opportunity to talk with Zhengting and ask what was wrong.

“Yeah, I’m just going to shower quickly and change. I’m all sweaty,” Xukun replied, wiping his face some more. “You should get ready, too.”

Dance practice would probably clear things up.

🞘⯁🞘

Dance practice did not clear things up. It made things worse. 

It started off well, with Ziyi introducing himself and showing everyone his b-boying dance moves. Everyone was hyped and motivated, and clapped along as Ziyi spun and moved around their circle. Xukun tried to catch Zhengting’s gaze a few times, but the other boy seemed to avoid his eyes, keeping himself somewhat distant across the room. Xukun frowned, then brushed it off. He was probably just tired, he figured. He and Ziyi stretched and danced together while he kept his Zhengting Radar on, as always.

But even when it was time for him and the others to wander around to see if anyone needed help, Zhengting didn’t approach Xukun like usual. Instead, he spent his time with Zeren, Justin and Chengcheng, and when Xukun tried to draw near, the older gave him a brief smile before darting away to talk with Chaoze. He couldn’t understand. Was Zhengting avoiding him? Why? He’d seemed fine, his usual smiley and adorable self during the basketball game. What could have happened to him? It felt like Zhengting was determined not to get too close to Xukun anymore.

It made Xukun confused. He also noticed that the stressed look was back in Zhengting’s eyes.

Near the end of practice, Zhengting suddenly dragged Chaoze out for a private talk. Xukun watched them through the glass windows as Zhengting fidgeted, tugging at the hem of his shirt. He had a sudden urge to reach out, to touch Zhengting's hair and the corners of his eyes with his fngertips and smooth his expression back into a smile. 

However, Zhengting flew out the door the moment practice was over, before Xukun even had a chance to ask him about it. He sighed, suddenly feeling inexplicably exhausted. 

Something wasn’t right, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please consider leaving a review! It was kind of a long and angsty chapter... anyway, the next chapter will be more interesting, and new characters will appear!


	4. Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Yanjun shows up, things start going wrong with a series of unfortunate misunderstandings. Xukun decides to resort to drastic measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This chapter was written very quickly so please forgive any mistakes! I hope you enjoy it! :)

It was strange, Zhengting reflected, how quickly things seemed to have changed.

There was no longer anything for him to anticipate as he left the apartment that morning, sending Wenjun off with their usual hug. The day seemed to be empty, and with the competitive dance team’s first meeting drawing nearer, for the first time, Zhengting found himself reluctant to head out to class.

It had been relatively easy for him to avoid running into Xukun, but unfortunately difficult for him to stop thinking about the younger student. He wasn’t _upset,_ exactly. There was nothing for him to be upset about in the first place, since their relationship had apparently never been anything particularly special anyway. Zhengting was the one who’d mistaken Xukun’s natural warmth and kindness as something more affectionate rather than just friendship, and it was nothing against Xukun. He supposed Xukun would appreciate it more if Zhengting gave him more space and stopped his clinginess, which was what normal friends did, anyway. 

So Zhengting went about his normal routine without peeking into the first-year lecture hall on his way to class, or coincidentally stopping for a drink right outside the music practice room as he headed out to the library, like he used to. He didn’t stop or go over to greet him when he saw Xukun talking with a group of girls outside near the music department building or laughing with Ziyi as they trekked across the courtyard that morning. He didn’t do anything.

It felt like something went missing, he thought as he looked up at the clouds drifting overhead. He just couldn’t get Xukun’s face out of his mind. Even worse, he couldn’t stop hearing the younger’s voice in his head. That voice… Zhengting still found it oddly familiar, but no matter how hard he tried to recall where he’d heard it before, the memory was always just out of his grasp, his thoughts coming out blank. He was probably imagining things, he thought firmly. It was best to stop fretting over Xukun altogether and focus on his upcoming assignment deadlines. With that thought, Zhengting entered the library, determined to accomplish his task.

✯ ✯ ✯

“Too vague… Not recent enough… ” he muttered as he browsed amongst the shelves. He needed a book for his literature class, and he was perusing a rather old collection in the history and philosophy section, edging around a table full of students scribbling and typing furiously. The assignments were really piling up, he thought grimly, turning his attention back to his book selection.

He was startled by a sudden tap on his shoulder and spun around to find a familiar face grinning at him disarmingly. His jaw dropped in shock.

“Hey there, Little Fairy. Did you miss me?”

Zhengting’s eyeballs felt like they were about to fall out of his head.

“Wha - Yanjun?” he gaped, blinking dumbly in astonishment at that perfectly chiseled, handsomely featured face. “It’s really you?” He beamed, genuinely delighted to see the other boy, moving forward to embrace him.

He stopped, confused, as Yanjun continued looking him up and down approvingly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

“I think you must be a library book, Zhengting, because I can’t stop checking you out,” Yanjun squinted at his face, “Man, I can’t believe I forgot my glasses, especially since you’re such fine print.”

Zhengting rolled his eyes, reaching out blindly to smack his shoulder as Yanjun snickered gleefully, showing off his dimples and his perfect smile. 

“Geez, you haven’t changed at all,” he grumbled with no real irritation. Lin Yanjun was still full of never-ending cheesy and cringey pick-up lines and puns, and literally flirted with any and every life form that existed on the planet. 

He could only get away with it because of his good looks, Zhengting figured, and as proof, Yanjun always had the longest list of admirers among everyone he knew. He was still Zhengting’s cousin, though, and Zhengting would be lying if he said they weren’t close. Yanjun had been one of his best buddies since they were little, and every year Zhengting would always look forward to the few times they would meet up, since Yanjun unfortunately lived in a different region. 

“I can’t believe it’s you! What are you doing here?” Zhengting asked, finding it difficult to keep his voice low due to his excitement. As glad as he was whenever Yanjun found time to come visit him, it was definitely unexpected to find his cousin here, at his university, without any forewarning beforehand. “How did you find time to get here? Don’t you also have classes?”

“I do,” Yanjun motioned for him to follow him to a corner with less people around, “I have class this afternoon with Professor Li Ronghao. I’m taking performing arts courses, like you.” 

“Wait - you - _you transferred schools?_ Since when?” Zhengting stared at him in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He’d never received any call or text about it.

Yanjun shrugged. “I was waiting for a good time to meet with you after I found you. I wanted to give you a surprise.”

“You certainly did,” Zhengting bounced impatiently. “I haven’t seen you in so long! How have you been doing? Why did you decide to come here? Where are you staying? Want to come visit our apartment and dorms?” He was sure that the kids would be overjoyed at the news.

Yanjun grinned at the onslaught of questions, shifting slightly to lean against a bookcase. He was about to answer when a voice suddenly interrupted them.

“Hey, Zhengting! Are you looking for reference books here too? I’ve got some, if you want to take a look,” Zhangjing approached with his customary cheerful bunny smile and a stack of books in his arms. “By the way, all of us are meeting for lunch tomorrow, are you coming? You promised last time to - oh, who’s this?” Zhangjing paused, noticing Yanjun for the first time. His eyes went round, blinking rather comically in the typical effect that Yanjun’s face tended to have on people. Zhengting hid a smile. He was looking forward to seeing how the rest of his friends would react to Yanjun’s appearance as well. 

“This is my cousin, Lin Yanjun, who is apparently now also a performing arts student here,” Zhengting introduced dryly, still trying to wrap his head around that fact himself. “And this is my friend You Zhangjing. He’s a really good singer.”

Zhangjing seemed to have gotten over his awestruck state and waved brightly at Yanjun, who was observing him.

“Hi, nice to meet you! I’m also studying in the music department.” He held out a hand.

Yanjun leaned forward slightly, that familiar smirk crawling up his face along with his dimples as he glanced at Zhangjing’s books, then straight into his eyes.

“Are you a dictionary? Because you seem like the meaning to my life.” His eyes glinted mischievously.

Zhengting groaned and pulled Zhangjing behind him.

“Seriously, Yanjun, you’re going to scare him off!” he looked apologetically at his friend, who had a funny expression on his face. “Sorry about that. Yanjun’s just weird. Ignore it, he’s like this all the time.”

“Heh, it’s okay,” Zhangjing raised his eyebrows. “I don’t mind. But if you want to wait for my reply, you should bring something to eat, ‘cause it’ll take me a real long time to think of one.” He peered at Zhengting’s watch and gasped. “Oh no, my next class is about to start in ten minutes! I’ve got to go. Bye, Zhengting!” Zhangjing waved, hurrying towards the checkout desk. “Don’t forget to join us at lunch tomorrow! And Yanjun’s welcome, too! As long as he doesn’t share any more of those corny pick-up lines!” 

Zhengting turned to Yanjun with a grin. “Hear that? I can’t wait to introduce you to the group.”

Yanjun was watching Zhangjing’s disappearing figure curiously. “Yeah, that sounds good. Can I bring another friend with me? He’s the first friend I made since my transfer here. A first-year student.”

“Sure,” Zhengting checked his watch again, his expression turning disappointed. “Ugh, I have class now, too, and you still haven’t told me anything!”

“I’ll call you later and we can meet somewhere to catch up,” Yanjun walked with him to the doors. “Know anywhere good we can go? I’m not too familiar with the area yet.” 

“Yeah, I’ll take you somewhere nice this time. Bye, Yanjun, I’m going now,” Zhengting gave him a quick hug before rushing off.

“Hey, Little Fairy, if I followed you, would you keep me?” Yanjun called, waving back. Zhengting rolled his eyes again, his chest feeling lighter than before. He smiled.

At least there were some things that never changed.

* * *

“Hey, watch out!”

Xukun blinked, startled, then barely managed to turn his head before it got smacked in the side with the basketball. _Ouch._ He pressed at hand to the sore spot, closing his eyes briefly as the other basketball team members rushed over to him.

“Sorry!” Luo Zheng apologized worriedly. “I didn’t mean to hit you. Does it hurt a lot?” 

“No, I’m fine,” Xukun shook his head, “It was my fault for not paying attention.” He smiled a little to reassure the older student and the others. “For real. It’s okay. Let’s just continue.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been distracted the whole time since practice started,” Mu Ziyang came over from where he’d been standing with Ling Chao and Bu Fan. “You’ve already missed two passes from me and Chao Chao today.”

“Yeah, what’s up with you, Xukun? Your head’s clearly not in the game,” Bu Fan added. 

Xukun knew exactly what was distracting him. It was Zhengting.

It was just an uneasy feeling he’d had since two days ago. There were a few incidents that made him feel as though Zhengting was starting to drift apart from him.

That morning, Xukun had been planning to find a chance to talk with Zhengting, to maybe figure out what was bothering him and help fix it. Zhengting usually passed by the music practice room whenever Xukun had a session there to say hello, so Xukun had been hoping to catch him there. But for the past two mornings, the older boy hadn’t shown up at all. When Xukun had seen Zhengting in the halls or outside the performing arts building on the quad, he’d wanted to go over, but each time Zhengting had just given him an awkward wave and a tight smile before running off to wherever he had to go. He seemed to no longer have any time to talk with Xukun like before. Xukun had waited so long to finally meet Zhengting again, and when he’d finally found him, Zhengting was drifting away.

It felt really bizarre and disappointing, and Xukun wondered whether it was himself that had done something to upset the other. He’d stewed over his thoughts over and over again until they were running nonstop in his mind, which made it seriously hard to concentrate on basketball practice. Especially since just before Ziyi had dropped him off at the court, his Zhengting Radar had sensed his target from nearby, and he’d spotted the dancer from across the field, had even caught a glimpse of his face. But Zhengting had turned away and walked off, back stiff and posture tense. 

Xukun sighed, shaking himself out of his thoughts, and Ziyang patted him on the back. 

“You look really stressed. Maybe you should leave early and go get some rest? Maybe take a break.” He looked at Bu Fan, who shrugged.

“I mean, it’s not like you’re getting any practice in or being of any use if you’re so scatterbrained.” He turned and loped off to tackle Ling Chao, who shrieked and attempted to run away.

“He’s the scatterbrained one,” Ziyang muttered, scrunching his nose, then focused back on Xukun. “Just go and do something relaxing,” he guided the younger boy towards the benches. “Come to practice next time when you feel better, okay? See ya,” he waved and ran back to the others, leaving Xukun standing there, puzzled. _That was odd. But it’s convenient, I guess._

“Well, I suppose I can go look for Ziyi after,” he figured as he hesitantly grabbed his stuff and headed off back towards his dormitory to change. His phone suddenly buzzed with a message and he stared at it, starting to smile.

Or maybe he would get to see Zhengting after all.

* * *

The small coffee shop just off the other side of campus was one of Zhengting’s favourite places where he could relax. It was cozy, only a few minutes away from his and Wenjun’s apartment, and he visited frequently enough to know all the staff by name. 

He’d planned on having a drink there with Yanjun before taking him to hang around the shopping district nearby, and a large park was offering rental boats on the lake. The warm sunny weather was perfect for an outing, and he’d been looking forward to fully relaxing with Yanjun and putting all his stress over the past few days behind him. 

Zhengting had not expected Xukun to enter the coffee shop right when the two of them had been looking through their childhood photos on Yanjun’s phone. 

He definitely did not want Yanjun to find out about his miniscule, inconsequential - fine, rather large - crush on the younger boy that he was currently trying to get over. He was scared at what sorts of horrors Yanjun would torture him with (arguably worse than what Justin and Chengcheng could do - which was saying something) if he ever got an idea. Which was why he’d choked on a sip of his drink in fright at the sight of Xukun standing right in front of their table, giving him an almost accusatory look, while Yanjun patted him mildly on the back.

Xukun’s gaze travelled back and forth between him and Yanjun. He sat across from them without warning, his mouth pressed in a flat line. Zhengting guessed that he was there to meet with someone from his pressed slacks and dark collared shirt, which brought out the deeper hue of his eyes and made him look incredibly refined and revealed his long neck and _wow,_ he absolutely had to stop staring. 

Zhengting’s anxiety level rose. 

Yanjun gave him a look and smirked. Zhengting tried his hardest not to smack him.

“Oh, um, hi, Xukun, this is, um - ” 

“Hi, I’m Lin Yanjun,” Zhengting was surprised as Yanjun smiled charmingly before putting his phone on the table, taking a drink from his cup. Xukun’s eyes trailed down to Yanjun’s phone, where the photo gallery displayed multiple childhood photos of Yanjun and Zhengting, from the times they had gotten together.

Zhengting cringed mentally. 

Xukun had gone back to staring straight at Yanjun again after giving a stiff greeting. There was something different about his gaze; something hard and unyielding, not threatening, but almost there. Xukun was normally very polite and friendly, so this strange behaviour was making Zhengting nervous and on edge.

Yanjun nudged him under the table and he sighed. 

He could see where this was going.

* * *

First, Zhengting had been acting weird and next, he was avoiding Xukun with no explanations and meeting with someone else? It wasn’t fair.

Xukun was sure that Zhengting was perceptive enough to have understood his intentions. After all, Zhengting had been able to read him so easily the first time they’d met. He’d thought they’d been getting along so well with each other.

So obviously it made sense that he’d get worked up when he’d seen another guy sitting right next to the dancer in the coffee shop window, a guy who seemed to have never heard of _personal space_. Justin had messaged him earlier to invite him to meet up to hang out with the others at the park near Zhengting’s apartment. Xukun had been on his way there when he’d spotted Zhengting himself practically sitting on that other guy’s lap, the two of them laughing over some personal joke. When was the last time Zhengting had laughed like that with _him?_

Without realizing what he was doing, he had barged right inside the coffee shop and strode over right before them, effectively making his presence known. 

The other guy - Yanjun - had looked to be about their age as well. He had impeccably styled hair, dark, captivating eyes on a perfect, angular face and an easy smile, and dimples. He was way beyond the standard for attractiveness. And something about him, Xukun had noted mentally, seemed comfortable and familiar. Plus, he could make Zhengting smile. So he suited Zhengting quite well. 

Which was the problem, really.

“Oh my gosh, yeah, that was so funny!” Zhengting was giggling at something Yanjun had said.

“Right? I still have the video at home. Hey, do you remember that summer when Chengcheng brought a snake in the tent and put it in Justin’s sleeping bag?” 

Was it just Xukun or was Yanjun deliberately playing with Zhengting’s fluffy hair? And they were still sitting awfully close to each other.

“They screamed all night and you were so freaked out, and since Wenjun wasn’t there that time, you crawled into my sleeping bag and stayed there with me the whole night.” 

“Yes, thank goodness you were there! Then Zeren booted them all out of the tent,” Zhengting patted Yanjun’s hand, which had somehow ended up on his leg. “And you finally made it go away.”

Xukun’s hands clenched tighter into fists.

“You shrieked so loud when the snake escaped, I’m pretty sure you were the one who scared it away, not me!” 

“Hey! We were, like, nine years old! When you jumped in front of me, I thought it would eat you! I remember thinking that I would be forever guilty at your funeral!” 

They both laughed. Xukun forced himself to look away. So Yanjun had known Zhengting and the kids for so many years…

“Oh, it’s nearly time!” he heard Zhengting say as he stood up. “We should get going.” Zhengting turned to Xukun hesitantly. “Um, sorry, Xukun, we have to leave now.” He avoided looking in Xukun's eyes. 

Xukun stared at him in silence, his face doing a fine impression of a rock. 

“Bye,” Zhengting waved as Yanjun nodded at him. His voice sounded small and his smile seemed tighter than before, but perhaps that was just his imagination.

“So, Little Fairy, shopping first or boat ride?” Yanjun asked as they were leaving. Xukun watched as they linked arms before walking off, leaning into each other.

Xukun was starting to think that it was time to take drastic measures.

* * *

Zhengting opened the dormitory door, tired that evening, to find the kids in various stretched-out positions on the couch, watching a movie on TV. Justin turned to look at him, leaping off the couch and bouncing over.

“Ting ge, you’re home!” He threw his arms around Zhengting’s shoulders.

Zhengting couldn’t help smiling fondly as the kids all greeted him expectantly, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. Home was wherever the kids were. And also Wenjun, of course, but it was almost the weekend, and Wenjun would be free and they would finally all be able to go out together, wouldn’t they?

“Yeah, I am,” he responded, setting down a bag of treats he’d brought back from the coffee shop on the table. “Look what I brought for you guys!” 

“Cookies! Muffins! And doughnuts! Yes!” Justin crowed triumphantly, digging through the bag. 

“What?” Chengcheng’s head shot up and he zoomed over to inspect (and raid) the contents. “Woah, you’re right! I want that doughnut now! I’m _so_ hungry - ” he grabbed it and stuffed half of it in his mouth, chewing happily. 

“Hey! Save some for the rest of us!” Zeren scolded as he joined in with Xinchun and Quanzhe. 

Zhengting watched contentedly as the kids munched on the desserts, their faces alight with pleasure. A moment later, Justin turned to him, attempting to hug him again.

“Thanks for bringing these, Ting ge!” he grinned as Zhengting backed away, avoiding his grabby hands.

“Wait! My clothes! Your fingers are covered with chocolate!” Zhengting protested, ducking as Justin laughed, smudging a smear of chocolate on the side of his face. “Huang Minghao! You little brat!” he lunged for Justin who screeched, wriggling in his arms. Chengcheng laughed, wiping some chocolate on Justin’s nose. 

“I should have waited till tomorrow to let you eat them. Anyway, guess who I met today? You guys won’t believe it!” Zhengting said as they all settled down again. He tousled Quanzhe’s hair, smiling at their curious expressions. “Yanjun! He’s here! Did you know he transferred to our university?” 

They all stared at him, shocked. Chengcheng paused with his mouth full, his face still stuffed with food.

“Really? Yanjun ge? Yay! I haven’t seen him in forever!” Justin cheered, and they all bombarded Zhengting with questions.

“When did he transfer? Is he in our department? Where can we see him? Where is he staying? Is he taller than me? Does he still remember us? Can we go visit him? Will he still play with us?”

“Hold on,” Zhengting held out his hands. “Yanjun apparently transferred here a few weeks ago but he wanted to give us a surprise. Yes, he’s in the performing arts department. He’s staying in a different dorm building. He’s still the same as before. Yes, he does remember you guys. As for the rest, you can ask him tomorrow, when we all meet up at lunch.”

“Awesome!” Justin and Chencheng high-fived, and Xinchun and Quanzhe beamed. 

“This is going to be interesting,” Zeren commented. “A good show.”

“It is,” Zhengting agreed. 

He found himself anticipating the next day.

✯ ✯ ✯

“Yanjun ge! We’re over here!” Chengcheng’s shout rang across the cafeteria as he and Justin waved their arms wildly. Zhengting rolled his eyes resignedly, but also turned to look at Yanjun’s figure approaching their table. Even from a distance, Yanjun still radiated attractiveness in a ten-metre radius, if the blushing, giggling girls all around him were any indication.

Their group was all gathered around, chatting together. Yanchen was there, seated next to Zhengting and the kids, Xingjie and Xiao Gui were there as well, laughing with Zhou Rui. Zhangjing had showed up with Chaoze and another energetic boy named Lu Dinghao. 

“That’s the guy who nearly poked my eye out last time,” Zeren pointed him out to Zhengting. They looked over to see Dinghao start acting out some scenario dramatically with Chaoze, somehow incorporating a napkin, a packet of hot sauce, a chopstick and Zhangjing’s ear into the storyline. Xinchun was laughing at them, not seeming the slightest bit disturbed. 

“What has he done to poor Xinchun?” Zhengting shook his head. 

Xiao Gui and Xingjie waved at Bu Fan and Mu Ziyang to come over, and a few other members of the basketball team joined their table. 

“Yanjun ge’s here!” Chengcheng and Justin jumped on him before he’d barely set down his food, making him laugh as he greeted them back. 

“Hi everyone, I’m Lin Yanjun,” he introduced himself as everyone stared at him. “I’m a second-year transfer student.” He smiled, showing off his dimples. Zhengting motioned for him to sit next to him. 

Another boy stepped out from behind Yanjun, with the cutest sunshine smile Zhengting had ever seen. 

“Hi! I’m Yanjun’s friend and a first year student, Chen Linong! You can call me Nongnong,” he waved, smiling again, and Zhengting turned to Yanchen, shocked.

“I think his smile might be even more powerful than yours,” he said in awe, and Yanchen frowned jokingly. 

“You’re so cute!” Zhangjing said to Nongnong, “Come sit here!” he patted the seat next to him, and Nongnong, beaming, went over to sit with him. 

Justin was chattering away to Yanjun. “You should come play with us! Wenjun ge’s finally taking us all out tomorrow! It’ll be fun!”

“I’ll have to see, Huang Mi - ” Yanjun was cut short as Justin latched on his arm pleadingly. “Oh, I’m not allowed to say it?” Yanjun teased. He turned to the others. “Hey guys, do you know why he was never late to school when he was younger? Because he was always _Justin_ time to catch the bus!”

The kids and Zhengting all groaned. 

“Come on, Yanjun ge, that’s so boring,” Chengcheng complained. “Your jokes always suck.”

Yanjun pretended to be all offended as Zhengting laughed in agreement next to him.

“By the way, I’m just curious,” Xiao Gui asked, “Why did you decide to transfer here?” 

“Well,” Yanjun contemplated, grinning, “Mostly because I wanted to see Zhengting. And also because the music program here is so good,” he turned to Zhengting with a wink. “Isn’t that right, Little Fairy?”

Zhengting felt himself flush with embarrassment. He was about to tell Yanjun off when a loud clatter down the table caught his attention, and he glanced over to see Xukun standing there, watching him fixedly along with Ziyi. They had apparently just arrived and had come over to sit with the basketball team members at their table. Zhengting stopped breathing for a moment, looking at Xukun’s stonily impassive face, then lowered his gaze to the table. He felt Yanchen squeeze his arm silently. 

“U - um, well, Xingjie, could you pass me that water bottle there? I’m thirsty,” Yanchen attempted to break the tension.

“Here, let me open it for you,” Zeren offered, twisting the cap open and handing over the bottle.

“Thanks,” Yanchen gave him a quick smile.

“No problem,” Zeren shook his head, “No problem at all. I’m really strong, you know.” He patted his arm, and Zhengting would have made fun of him if wasn’t feeling so nervous from the piercing look directed at him from across the table. He was very glad that there were several people seated between him and Xukun. 

“So, Nongnong, do you like to sing?” Zhangjing was asking.

“Yeah, I do!” Nongnong nodded brightly.

"Yay! I'm going to adopt him! Is that okay, Yanjun?"

"Hmm, I'm already his parent, in case you were wondering," Yanjun flashed a charming smile at Zhangjing. "But I have no objections if you don't mind sharing."

“What about dance?” Chaoze asked, observing the cute sunshine boy all over. “You could maybe join our dance team.”

“Oh, um, I’m not too good at dancing,” Nongnong told him apologetically. “I wouldn’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“That’s okay, we can teach you!” Chaoze said, turning to Zhengting. “You could join our club! Right, Zhengting?”

Zhengting blinked. He hadn’t really been paying attention, trying to keep his eyes from straying in Xukun’s direction. 

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he answered, and Nongnong smiled at him, lifting Zhengting’s mood a little. He felt Yanjun elbow him from the side.

“I heard that you’re leading the dance team. I’m definitely coming to watch your performances,” he whispered, looking down at Zhengting’s plate. “Hey, I thought you didn’t like fish. You would never eat it whenever I came over to visit.”

“I don’t,” Zhengting mumbled prodding at a piece with his chopsticks. “Justin must have given me his when I wasn’t looking.”

“You could give it to me,” Yanjun said, and Zhengting nodded gratefully.

“Here,” he picked up the piece with his chopsticks and fed it to him carefully. It wasn’t a big deal. Zhengting was used to feeding the kids and sharing his food anyway. He wiped at Yanjun’s mouth with his napkin, then leaned over to do the same to Chengcheng, who had crumbs on his face from talking too excitedly with his mouth full. 

“You can have some of my chicken,” Yanjun placed a piece in Zhengting’s mouth, smiling at him as he chewed. 

Zhengting suddenly caught sight of Xukun’s face and coughed, almost choking again as he hurriedly took a sip of water. Xukun’s stare was icy as he turned away. He stood up and left the table with Ziyi, exiting the cafeteria, not looking back once. 

“Aw, Kun ge’s leaving!” Justin watched them leave. “We invited him to come play with us yesterday afternoon, but he didn’t show up.”

“You what?” Zhengting demanded, staring into Justin’s confused face. But Xukun had been there, in the coffee shop. Could he have been planning to meet with him all along?

“It was weird. Kun ge said he wanted to come and talk to you, but then he never came. I guess something’s bothering him.” Justin shrugged, tuning back into Chengcheng's rant.

That was true. Xukun seemed to be really irritated, and it scared Zhengting. He felt Yanchen’s fingers tight around his own. He felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. 

And he also felt a strange bitter aftertaste that something had really gone wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! Yanjun's character is really fun to write! Also I love Nongnong a lot too! I was rewatching Idol Producer, which made me happy and sad at the same time :) :( !  
> By the way, I'm not really sure which trainees like basketball, so I just picked some of the taller ones as part of the team.  
> Anyway, thank you again for reading, and please consider leaving a review!
> 
> *SORRY FOR THE WAIT - THE NEXT CHAPTER IS REALLY LONG, SO IT'S TAKING A WHILE FOR ME TO WRITE. I WILL TRY TO GET IT UP BY THE END OF THIS WEEK!


	5. Tight Reconnection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xukun receives advice while Zhengting hangs out with Wenjun and the kids. After much pining, the two of them finally make up again. Unfortunately for them, Justin and Chengcheng have other plans in store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while! My first quadmester at school just ended, so I was incredibly busy with evaluations and university applications :0 ! This chapter felt ridiculously long (I don't even know what I was writing half the time - I hope it's not too confusing), but if you manage to stick till the end, Zhengting and Xukun finally get together! Again, this was written very quickly, so please forgive any mistakes!

It was definitely time to take drastic measures, Xukun confirmed yet again as the door slammed shut behind him.

If only he could figure out how. But there had to be some way of getting things back to the way they used to be… right? He hadn’t seen Zhengting all day, since the other had apparently taken the kids out somewhere for the weekend. With Yanjun as well, Xukun fumed. As if he and Zhengting couldn’t bear to separate for a few minutes, let alone a day.

Xukun trudged distractedly down his dorm hall after showering, his blow-dried hair still a little damp at the ends. It was evening, and the halls were quiet as most students were either studying or enjoying their time elsewhere at the various establishments and attractions off campus. Ziyi was visiting a friend, Jeffrey, and they were probably hanging out in Xiao Gui, Xingjie and Yanchen’s dorm upstairs along with Zhou Rui and Bu Fan. Xukun guessed that they would either end up with serious head-pounding hangovers the next morning, or get booted out by the dorm keeper for wrecking the place and for their loud racket. He, on the other hand, was not in the mood to get rowdy with them.

Xukun decided to step outside for a bit of fresh air. Pushing open the front doors, he went down the steps onto the path below, looking up at the sliver of moon peeking out from behind a cloud. It was getting dark earlier now, and the air was slightly chilly, he realized, rubbing his arms. Autumn was finally arriving. He took a deep breath, looking up at the night sky to clear his thoughts. 

There was the sound of footsteps nearby, and Xukun looked over to see Yanchen approaching the building, dressed in a sweater and a cap. Smart. Xukun gave him a little smile, and Yanchen nodded a greeting, moving to stand closer.

“You’re not partying with the others?” Xukun asked, a little hesitantly. He wasn’t too familiar with Yanchen yet, after all.

“Nah, it’s probably wild in there,” the other boy replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I just went for a walk. I’d rather stay away from the mess for now and deal with it after it’s over. You’re not in the mood either, I see.” Yanchen flashed him a smile, his eyes searching his face carefully.

Xukun restrained himself from shivering at his sharp glance. Seeing the other boy had given him an idea, though he was reluctant about it. _This is an opportunity,_ he thought, doubtful, then steered his mind. _Drastic measures,_ he reminded himself, then turned again to the other boy.

“Hey, um, do you mind if I ask you something? About Zhengting, I mean.” Yanchen was Zhengting’s friend, after all. He probably would be able to give Xukun some insight on Zhengting’s perspective in this whole matter.

Yanchen didn’t seem the slightest bit surprised. Rather, he seemed like he had been expecting Xukun to ask sooner or later, his expression settling into something more serious.

“You look kind of cold. Why don’t we go talk inside?” he gestured towards the entrance, and Xukun accepted with a grateful look. “I’m guessing this will take more than just a few minutes, am I right?” Yanchen pulled open the door, indicating for Xukun to go inside, then headed for the lobby space. Xukun followed him closely as they sat down by the side near the windows. The place was surprisingly empty, the quietness just a little unnerving.

“So, what did you want to ask?” Yanchen observed him calmly, chin resting in his hand as he leaned forward expectantly. Xukun took a deep breath and got straight to the point. 

“Zhengting and that guy… are they together?” he demanded outright. His tentativeness had apparently flown right out the window. Yanchen tilted his head, still regarding him unwaveringly.

“That guy… you mean Yanjun?”

Xukun nodded vigorously. “Yeah. Him. Do you know anything about him?” Just the thought of Yanjun smiling at Zhengting, touching him and calling him _Little Fairy_ was making his stomach feel unpleasantly sick. 

Zhengting was well-known around campus, and he and Yanjun were both noticeably good-looking. So ever since they had been spotted acting all intimate together at the cafeteria, there had been all sorts of rumors flying around and posted all over the school social media, speculating at just who Yanjun was to Zhengting and the status of their relationship. It was kind of discouraging how everyone was so ready to assume that Yanjun and Zhengting were a couple. But after observing how familiar they were with each other… well, Xukun was sort of starting to believe it too. Yanchen smiled a little at Xukun’s tense posture, touching his arm lightly to get him to relax.

“If you’re referring to the rumors about them being together, I’m not exactly clear on that,” he told him, and Xukun deflated a little. “But I’ve talked with him and I do know that Yanjun is a good guy. He’s nice to Zhengting and makes him laugh. Except his jokes are always horrible.”

Xukun didn’t know what he’d wanted to expect. Perhaps a tiny part of him wanted Yanchen to tell him that Yanjun was a horrible, rude person who was trying to take advantage of Zhengting. It would certainly justify how low he was feeling at the moment. Plus, that would give him an excuse to get that guy away from Zhengting’s side. He didn’t know what was making him feel this… _possessive_ over Zhengting. It wasn’t as though Xukun had any claim on him anyway. He just didn’t like how Zhengting had suddenly started avoiding him and was spending his time glued to this new guy’s side without any explanations. It wasn’t fair. To put it simply, it made Xukun childishly envious of Yanjun. 

“You don’t like him, do you? Since he’s always hanging around with Zhengting?” Yanchen asked, watching him intently. Xukun hesitated, unsure how to reply. It wasn’t like he could just admit that out loud. “You want to be close with Zhengting again, right?” Yanchen’s voice was gentle. Xukun glanced away, uneasy at how Yanchen had voiced it out that easily. He settled for nodding the tiniest bit in response. “But you’re both upset right now. It’s not hard to notice,” Yanchen smiled at him, his grip around Xukun’s arm tightening.

“I just - he’s been avoiding me and I can’t figure out why,” Xukun was embarrassed at how his voice sounded almost sulky. Yanchen, however, continued to smile gently.

“I think that if you want real answers, you should talk with Zhengting yourself. Only then you can find out what the problem is and fix it.” He pulled away, standing up. “As his best friend, this is all I can say. I like you, though, so I’ll give you a hint - Zhengting only thinks that he should give you some space, because of what I’m guessing is a misunderstanding. He’s not avoiding you because he doesn’t like you. So don’t worry.” He waved, flashing a smile again before heading off to the elevators, leaving Xukun to ponder over his words. 

A misunderstanding? Was that all that it was? 

Xukun sighed, looking out at the darkening sky. He would have to find a way to clear it up.

* * *

After he’d introduced Yanjun to the group at lunch, Zhengting found it extremely difficult to focus during class. He couldn’t stop thinking about Xukun and how strange he’d been acting towards him since they’d seen each other at the coffee shop. Maybe it was because he’d noticed that Zhengting had been avoiding him. But the younger boy hadn’t seemed to like Yanjun, either. It made Zhengting feel rather uncomfortable.

As he returned to the apartment after saying good night to the kids, he was startled when the door opened before he’d even turned the key in the lock. Zhengting couldn’t help beaming at the unexpected surprise.

“Wenjun! You’re back!” he immediately jumped onto the other boy, who was standing there with an expectant smile. “I was going to go to your lab after I changed. How come you’re off early today?” He could feel all his tension drain out of his body as he relaxed in Wenjun’s familiar embrace.

“I promised to take time off, remember? Plus, I didn’t want you to wait anymore,” Wenjun replied quietly, helping him take his books and his bag as Zhengting bent down to take off his shoes. “You look really tired, Ting. You should go take a shower.” 

Zhengting gave Wenjun’s hand a light squeeze before complying. It had been a rather long day, and he just wanted to scrub himself clean and bury himself under his covers. 

After he stepped out from the bathroom toweling off his hair, Zhengting found Wenjun at the kitchen preparing some tea. The taller boy smiled as he met Zhengting’s gaze.

“Here, let me help,” he put down his glass and headed to the bathroom, returning with the blow-dryer and plugging it in, motioning for Zhengting to sit as he dried his hair. Zhengting loved the way Wenjun’s fingers combed lightly through his hair, patiently taking care not to pull on the strands.

When Zhengting was all dried off and the tea was ready, the two of them moved to the couch to talk. Zhengting made himself comfortable as usual propped against Wenjun’s chest, still thinking about the day’s events when the other boy suddenly spoke up.

“What is it, Ting? I can tell something’s bothering you,” Wenjun asked quietly. Neither Zhengting or the kids could ever hide anything from him (Zhengting recalled that once, at a sleepover at Wenjun’s house during middle school, Chengcheng had dared to touch the older boy’s precious yo-yo before he’d washed his hands. He’d replaced it back carefully in Wenjun’s drawer like normal, but somehow Wenjun just _knew._ He’d gone to his room after tidying up the kitchen, and he’d come out giving Chengcheng a pointed stare. He’d also ignored Chencheng for the rest of the night and had even put a fake bug in the younger boy’s blankets to get back at him. Chengcheng was still freaked out over that incident, which was why he kept his distance from Wenjun’s stuff from then on). “Is it something to do with that first-year, Cai… something? Sorry, I forgot his name.”

Zhengting spun around to look at him wide-eyed. “How did you know?” 

“Well, you talk a lot about him whenever you come to visit the lab, remember?”

Oh yeah. Zhengting supposed he had done that. He’d just liked telling Wenjun all about Xukun and how nice and funny he was. Wenjun always listened quietly and made amusing comments to Zhengting’s stories while he worked.

“But then you’ve stopped doing that since a few days ago. And you’ve also been looking a little down recently. I was thinking that it was probably because of him,” Wenjun finished.

Zhengting felt horrible for making Wenjun worry, especially since he was so busy all the time, but he knew if he didn’t talk about all his problems, it would just make the other boy even more troubled. 

“It’s not a big deal,” he sighed, turning to stare at the ceiling, “It’s just… things got weird, I mean, especially since Yanjun showed up.” At Wenjun’s nod, Zhengting continued. “I decided to not, you know, stick around Xukun all the time. Give him some space. And I don’t think he likes Yanjun, because he looked so mad whenever we were together. So things are kind of awkward now.”

Wenjun reached out to grasp his hand comfortingly. “If it bothers you that much, you should talk with him. Then at least you can figure out why he’s upset. Also, remember to be honest with your feelings, okay? Don’t hold anything back like you normally do. Whatever you decide, or whatever happens, I’ll always be here for you, you know.”

Zhengting looked down at their entwined fingers, grateful as always for Wenjun’s presence. He truly appreciated the other’s support.

“I guess I’ll try,” he conceded, and Wenjun smiled, satisfied. “Ugh, can we not talk about this now? I’ve already got a headache from listening to the kids squealing and making a fuss about tomorrow. They’re way too excited. They nearly flattened the couch from how much they were jumping on it!”

“Wow, I’m already scared,” Wenjun joked. “I should come with a full-body protection suit tomorrow.” He laughed along with Zhengting at the thought. “But honestly, though, I’m really glad I can spend time with all of them tomorrow. I missed them and their craziness.”

“Yeah, they really miss you. They also invited Yanjun and his friend to come along,” Zhengting said. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, it’ll be more interesting with him there. It’ll be like a big reunion.”

“Yeah. It’ll be like old times,” Zhengting agreed, sighing contentedly. He knew they were all going to have a great time. 

If only he could get the whole Xukun thing out of his head. 

♥ ♥ ♥

“Hey! That’s my ticket! Give it back, Chengcheng!” Justin dodged a couple of passerby to leap after a cackling Chengcheng across the pavement. The two of them took off running and shouting down the street, peering into shop windows and displays on the way.

Zhengting looked after them with a resigned smile before turning to Wenjun next to him.

“We’d better make sure they don’t get lost,” he said without any real worry in his voice. As long as the kids continued in the direction up ahead, they would end up at the same place they were heading for, the museum within the central area of the city.

“I’m pretty sure those two can’t get lost,” Wenjun replied with a grin, still dusting his clothes off gingerly. “They’re extremely noticeable, after all.” It had barely been two minutes since they had finally managed to get the kids to peel themselves away from Wenjun’s side after they’d plastered themselves all over him upon seeing him that morning. It had been a very endearing, family-like moment. 

“That’s true,” Zhengting agreed, turning around to fish in his backpack for his water bottle. The subway ride and walk had been long, and he was already parched. “Are you guys thirsty?” he asked the rest of the kids, who were looking around in fascination at the bustling city life around them. Zeren shook his head, attention captured by a young child racing by on a scooter. Zhengting handed the bottle to Xinchun and Quanzhe, then turned to look behind them. “How about you, Yanjun? I brought drinks for you. And you too, Nongnong.”

“That would be great, thanks,” Yanjun replied, and Nongnong beamed at him with a bright smile. Zhengting smiled back. He had instantly taken a liking to Nongnong and was willing to include him and Yanjun with the rest of the group. “Why did we decide to come to the museum anyway?” Yanjun asked, taking a sip of water as they approached the museum entrance. 

“Yeah, I would have suggested that we go to the science centre instead,” Wenjun added mildly. _Of course,_ Zhengting thought, elbowing him lightly.

“Next time, then,” he said quietly, and Wenjun’s eyes lit up, almost shining. Zhengting, feeling a rush of happiness, found it difficult to look away. “One of Chengcheng, Justin and Xinchun’s classes requires them to submit an art assignment soon, so they came to get some inspiration to finish it. They’re supposed to have a gallery display next week,” he said in response to Yanjun’s question, just as Chengcheng came barrelling into him with an enraged Justin on his heels. 

“Help! Zhengting ge! Justin’s going to kill me!”

“Come on, guys, you should behave while we’re in public,” Zhengting sighed, stepping between them. “We’re about to go in now, so keep your voices down, okay?” He looked at Wenjun, who reached out to ruffle Justin’s hair.

“Have you guys been causing more trouble for Zhengting since I last saw you?” he asked mildly, mock frowning at the younger boys.

“No, we’re angels, of course,” Justin and Chengcheng smiled beatifically while flapping their arms like wings.

“Oh, don’t believe them,” Zeren cut in exasperatedly, motioning at himself and Zhengting, “They’re totally wild and they torture us daily! Just yesterday Chengcheng dumped shampoo all over the bathroom floor and I spent an hour helping him wipe it clean while Justin just sat and laughed the whole time!”

“I did not!” Justin protested vividly, looking at Wenjun pitifully. “I helped, too! Right, Xinchun? Quanzhe? You guys were there, weren’t you?”

Xinchun looked at Quanzhe, and they both shrugged. “We didn’t see anything,” Xinchun said, and Quanzhe nodded along to the sound of Justin’s indignant squawking. Yanjun burst out laughing, while Nongnong giggled behind him.

“You guys are so funny,” Nongnong said cheerily. “Anyway, um,” he gestured behind them. “The line’s moving, so we can go in now.”

“Finally!” Chengcheng flounced dramatically up the steps through the entrance. 

“Can we go see the dinosaurs first?” Justin asked as they passed through to the atrium, staring at the huge skeleton display before them. 

“I thought you guys needed to go to the photography and art exhibitions,” Zeren frowned, scanning the museum map in his hands. “They’re on the third floor. The elevators are over there.”

“Aw, but we can go there after! Let’s go see the dinosaurs! Please, can we, Ting ge?” Justin stuck out his bottom lip in a pleading effort.

Zhengting looked at Wenjun, who was busy studying a plant specimen in a glass case. “Why don’t we split up for a while? We can meet at the art place on the third floor in two hours. We came all this way, you guys should go look at whatever you want. Just make sure you have your phones with you.”

“Yeah, let’s go! See ya, guys!” Justin grabbed Chengcheng and they took off across the room. Xinchun, Quanzhe and Zeren wandered off towards the Egyptian gallery, chattering amongst themselves on the way. 

“Where are we going?” Wenjun asked Zhengting, looking at him curiously. Zhengting grinned, poking his cheek.

“To the Plants of the World exhibit, of course! I know you want to see it.”

“You know me too well,” Wenjun beamed, and they started walking, Zhengting slinging his arm across the other’s shoulders. Yanjun and Nongnong followed them as they headed towards the elevators.

“Hey, Yanjun, Nongnong, did you guys know that an incident happened here last year when I was at this museum?” Zhengting announced. Nongnong turned to him worriedly.

“What happened? Was there a fire? Or wait - was someone trying to steal something?” Zhengting patted his arm reassuringly.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “I was here with a few of my classmates and Yanchen. Then right when we were leaving, like the _moment_ we stepped out the exit, the alarm suddenly went off, and there was a big commotion!” Zhengting recounted as Nongnong stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Man, are you really that ancient?” Yanjun smirked. Zhengting narrowed his eyes and reached around to smack him as he snickered evilly, trying to hide behind Nongnong.

“Be quiet, Yanjun! I’m not that old! Plus, you’re even older than me, you know!”

They continued their banter as they arrived at the exhibition, full of preserved and exotic plant specimens used for scientific study. It really did feel great to take some time off to have fun. Zhengting smiled contentedly as he observed Wenjun peering into the glass cases in fascination. He realized that he’d hardly thought about Xukun at all the whole morning. He bit his lip.

_I wonder what it would be like to come here with Xukun instead._

* * *

“Are you… crying?” Xukun asked as they walked out of the doors along with the crowd.

“Sorry, bro, that movie was just so emotional,” Ziyi sniffed, giving Xukun an apologetic smile. Xukun grinned back. With nothing to do for the day and with Zhengting out with the kids, Xukun had decided to go with Ziyi to the theatre near their school campus to watch a movie. The place was especially popular amongst the university students, and Xukun had recognized several people from his dorms and classes there. 

“It’s alright, you big softie,” he teased, taking the last swig of his drink from his cup before throwing it in the trash bin nearby. “We should go to the bathroom before we leave so you can wash your face.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Ziyi agreed, and they made their way over to the bathrooms down the hall.

“You go. I’ll wait for you here,” Xukun said, leaning against the wall near the water fountain. Ziyi nodded and headed inside. Xukun sighed, glancing around distractedly at the people filing by. It had been fun watching the film with his best friend, but he still felt uneasy, like something was nagging at the back of his mind. 

And he still hadn’t thought of how he was going to find an opportunity to talk with Zhengting. He sighed again. Mostly, he was nervous that the dancer wouldn’t be willing to speak with him anymore. Especially since their last meeting had been so awkward. 

“Xukun!” he heard a voice call out after a minute. “Are you here to watch something too?” He spun around to see a group of girls clustered together, coming out of the theatre. The girl who’d asked him for help after class last time was there as well, he suddenly realized uncomfortably. 

“Hi,” he said back politely, keeping his eyes fixed downwards. “Yeah, um, I just finished watching,” he answered vaguely. He didn’t really want to deal with them at the moment. “I’m waiting for someone,” he added, hoping they would take the hint and leave him alone. Unluckily for him, the girl from his music class detached herself from the group and approached him with a big smile.

“It’s such a coincidence to see each other here!” she said happily. _Not really, since this is the closest theatre to our school,_ Xukun thought. _Most of the people here are from our school anyway._ He wished Ziyi would hurry up and come out. He was aware of the girl observing him carefully. “Um, about what I asked you last time,” she began, and Xukun mentally groaned. He really didn’t want to deal with this at the moment. “I was wondering when you’re free so we - ”

“ - Xingjie! Hey, Jie ge!” The girl’s question was cut off as Xukun suddenly saw Xingjie and Xiao Gui walking by and waved at them energetically, finally having an excuse to avoid the girl. Xingjie turned, giving him an odd look, then his expression quickly changed in recognition as he figured out what was happening. He waved back and started to walk over. Xiao Gui caught sight of Xukun too, and motioned for someone behind him to follow as they drew near. It was Yanchen, Xukun realized a little belatedly. “Sorry,” he told the girl, “It’s not really a good time right now, so… ” 

At the sight of Xingjie and Xiao Gui approaching, the girl stepped back towards her group, a little disappointed.

“Oh, sorry,” she smiled reluctantly and gave him a little wave. “See you in class, then!” The girls finally left, much to Xukun’s relief. He spun around to see Xingjie’s smug look.

“Did we just save you from an awkward situation?” Xingjie grinned, clapping the younger on the back. 

Xukun nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I think they’re scared of you and Xiao Gui,” he laughed. “By the way, I’m amazed that you guys aren’t completely hung over from last night.” Xiao Gui wiggled his eyebrows.

“Am I that intimidating?” he struck a weird pose with his hands on his hips, making Xukun laugh even harder. “The dorm keeper kicked us out early last night before things got crunk, so we didn’t even get that drunk,” he told him with a little smirk. “Anyway, you could have let me spout a bit of freestyle. That would’ve scared those girls off. My freestyle rap is just that powerful.”

“The one you made last time about your shoes was good,” Xingjie agreed, and the two began to chat animatedly while making up random scraps of verse. Xukun glanced over at Yanchen, who had been surprisingly quiet since the girls had left.

“Hey, are you going to the art gallery event next week?” Yanchen suddenly asked, looking at him seriously. Xukun frowned.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I’m not taking any visual arts courses.” He blinked as Yanchen looked at him incredulously. 

“Well, Justin and Chengcheng and another one of the kids are having their assignments displayed there.” Yanchen’s mouth tightened as Xukun continued to stare at him, puzzled. “So _Zhengting_ is going to be there, obviously!” he elbowed Xukun as the younger boy’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. “He already told me that he’s going. This is a chance for you guys to finally sort things out.”

_Right,_ Xukun nodded. He really had to talk with Zhengting. Ziyi came out of the bathroom at that moment, greeting the others with their usual handshakes, before getting ready to leave. 

“So when is the event happening?” Xukun quickly turned back to Yanchen. The older boy smiled.

“Thursday evening next week. At seven. I’ll give you more details later. See ya,” he waved, then moved away to join Xingjie and Xiao Gui as they left for the exit. 

Xukun held his arm out to Ziyi as they headed off towards the arcade section with a wide smile. His mood had lifted considerably after his talk with Yanchen. “Want to go for a round of shooting games?”

Ziyi smiled back, linking his arm with Xukun’s. “Definitely.”

* * *

The museum trip had been very entertaining. They’d visited multiple exhibitions, and Zhengting was glad that Nongnong fit right in with their group (the kids had instantly become friends with the sunshine-cheerful boy), and enjoyed how much fun things were with Wenjun back with them again. While they’d been separated, the kids had secretly sneaked off to the gift shop and had gotten Wenjun a little exotic potted plant and a photo holder keychain as a present.

“You can keep photos of us in it, so you won’t forget us!” they had proclaimed vividly. “You’ll come play with us again, right, Wenjun gege?” 

Wenjun had been extremely touched by their gesture, giving them all a big hug. 

“Of course,” he’d said to comfort them. “We’ll see each other more often,” he’d promised. 

The art and photography exhibitions had been very interesting, and the kids had looked around at the gallery in amazement.

“This is great! Are we allowed to take pictures?” Justin had asked excitedly.

“No, they have to stay on the walls,” Yanjun quipped back, and Nongnong, being nice, had been the only one who’d laughed. 

As the kids looked around and collected their ideas, Zhengting had noticed a painting of a silhouette sitting alone in the grass, staring at a darkening sky. And again, he’d been reminded of Xukun.

_He’s probably not alone, though,_ he’d thought, switching his gaze to the ground. _He has Ziyi and others to keep him company, anyway. And he’s so popular, he’s probably got a girlfriend by now._ He sighed.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Watch your fingers!” Wenjun’s grip tightened on Zhengting’s shoulder. “Be careful; it could have bitten you.” 

Zhengting nudged him teasingly with a smile.

“Stop worrying, I’m totally fine. It’s too small to do anything to me. Look, it’s so cute!” he moved the little sheep in his arms into Wenjun’s lap, allowing him to stroke it. “I want to keep it and take it home!” 

“Let’s think about it first,” Wenjun joked, relaxing as he petted the little animal gently. Zhengting beamed back, then looked around to check on the kids, as well as Yanjun and Nongnong.

They’d all left the museum when the kids had complained that they were hungry. They’d begged Zhengting to take them to a large shopping mall nearby, where there was also a large indoor petting zoo. Needless to say, Zhengting’s attention had been completely captivated by the animals inside. Justin and Quanzhe were playing with a little pig, while Zeren and Xinchun were at the rabbit hutch with Nongnong. Chengcheng had presumably gone off to get some food. Zhengting got up and went over to Yanjun, who was observing the others in his spot off to the side by himself.

“Hey, Yanjun, do you want to come pet the sheep?” he pulled a little on the other boy’s arm. Yanjun turned to him and grinned, pointing to the pig that was surrounded by Justin and Quanzhe.

“Want to know something? That pig just moved into a new home.” At Zhengting’s surprised expression, he continued, gesturing at a brown pigpen nearby. “That one, with _mahogany_ coloured paint. I just took a look around inside. It was very _stylish_.” His laughter rang out loud as Zhengting scrunched his nose, smacking his arm with a huff before turning back around. “No, wait,” he latched onto Zhengting’s arm, “I’ll come.”

“No more of your dumb pig jokes, though,” Zhengting squinted at him. Yanjun nodded meekly, stifling a smile. They went back to petting the animals, and Zhengting stroked a little goat this time. “You know, I bet Zhangjing would have loved to come here,” he said thoughtfully. “He really likes animals, especially baby ones.”

“You mean that smiley short guy who wanted to take away my Nongnong?” Yanjun asked.

“He’s not going to take Nongnong away from you,” Zhengting rolled his eyes. “Zhangjing is really nice. I think you guys might even be good friends. And Xiao Gui, too. He doesn’t seem like it, but he’s actually the type to cuddle with puppies when he thinks no one is watching.” 

“That is kind of unexpected,” Yanjun replied, the corner of his mouth lifting at the thought. “Hey, what about that guy who was with us in the coffee shop? He seems pretty intimidating, too. He was glaring at me like I was a rotting piece of roadkill baking in the sun,” he raised his eyebrows. “Is he like that with everyone?”

Zhengting’s stomach twisted and his gaze dropped to the floor.

“No,” he said quietly. He wished he knew what was wrong. He was really starting to miss Xukun.

* * *

_Why am I feeling so anxious?_ Xukun wondered as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, fiddling with his tie. Why had Ziyi insisted for him to wear it? Keeping his expression neutral, he appeared mostly calm, if not somewhat unnerved. On the inside, however, he was freaking out. 

The reason for his distress was sitting right next to him, wearing a simple dark blue shirt, his fluffy hair falling across his forehead in soft waves as he stifled a laugh, his gaze focused on the speaker up at the front. Zhengting had obviously not been subjected to the horror of being dressed up like a mannequin, he thought. Xukun fidgeted with his sleeves. His wrists felt stiff and his fingers were cold from his nerves. He sighed, wishing the event would just end. His eyes flew open at a soft touch on his shoulder. Zhengting was looking at him, a small frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, his pretty, wide eyes searching Xukun’s face. Xukun blinked, his mouth instantly going dry. With a great effort, he shook his head. 

“I’m fine, just a little bored.” he glanced around at the other guests in resignation. The art students’ gallery display had just started, and they had to listen to an introduction and several speeches from senior students as well as the professors and alumni who had organized the event. Justin, Chengcheng and Xinchun were absent for the moment, preparing for their presentation after.

Zhengting nodded at him briefly before turning back to the event director’s speech, smiling a bit in understanding. Xukun forced himself to look away. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how Zhengting could make him feel so… nervous, so unable to control his basic motor function. It was probably because he finally had the chance to be with the other boy again after so long. His very presence made Xukun feel… weird. But in a good way. 

The back of Xukun’s neck prickled as he sensed multiple pairs of eyes on him, going back and forth between him and Zhengting beside him, and it seriously was not helping with his nerves. He supposed it was because upon arriving (he had been one of the last to arrive because of Ziyi fussing over his attire), he had scanned the faces of the guests before immediately heading towards Zhengting and taking the only seat next to him without another thought. The dancer had welcomed him with a smile, as did Zeren and Quanzhe, who had been seated in the row in front. It may have seemed strange for him to do that, since Xukun and Zhengting had broken off contact with each other for a while. It also meant that rumors would soon be circulating about how Xukun fit into the puzzle with Zhengting and Yanjun. 

And while normally, rumors around the school wouldn’t have bothered Xukun one bit, this time… Xukun wanted to know what Zhengting thought about them, and what his answers were. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed to find out. Especially since lately his feelings for Zhengting had gotten even clearer. 

Perhaps it was time to confess them out loud.

♥ ♥ ♥

Xukun had always felt different about Zhengting, since the very first time they’d met at that university fair so long ago. After that day, he hadn’t been able to get the older boy out of his mind. He’d just been completely, hopelessly attracted to Zhengting. Sure, of course he’d admired the older boy’s stunning appearance, but it was Zhengting’s genuine kindness and willingness to help him that had drawn him in even further. 

And then Xukun had seen Zhengting in front of him again at the Welcoming Center on his first day at the university, and as the older boy had smiled warmly and offered to help him with his bags, Xukun’s pulse had accelerated almost uncontrollably. His feelings had only escalated from there. 

At that point, Xukun had been convinced that something had changed. Though his feelings towards Zhengting were still confusing and brand new to him, he hadn’t wanted to push them away anymore.

“It sounds like you’re really interested in Zhengting now, aren’t you?” Ziyi had asked him last night before the event during their little chat in their dorm before they’d gone to sleep.

“What, you mean in general or intimately?” He swore he’d been able to hear Ziyi rolling his eyes even in the dark.

“Yes, you dense brick! Intimately! Romantically! Or, whatever, you know what I mean, don’t you?” 

Although Ziyi was his best friend, Xukun really would have preferred if said friend wouldn’t cause the dorm keeper to come banging on their door during the middle of the night due to his overly loud voice.

“Um, kind of, I guess,” he’d responded. He’d closed his eyes and thought about it for a while. Well, maybe he’d known it at the back of his head all along, but hearing Ziyi spell it out had made it seem so real, so open. At first, his and Zhengting’s interactions had seemed like simple friendship to him. They did what good friends did, right? But somehow, it felt a little different. 

“Are you going to tell him?” Ziyi had asked. Xukun had nearly forgotten that he was there. 

“Do I really need to? I think I’ve been obvious enough. I mean, I think he knows how I feel about him.” He’d been expecting Ziyi to make a snarky comment, but his friend had only replied in a serious tone,

“You should make sure. You might think he knows that you have feelings for him, but what if he doesn’t? And didn’t you say he already seemed close with somebody else? What if they end up together?” His voice got quiet. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Kun. You should confess to him to give yourself a definite answer.”

And then the next morning, Xukun had seen Zhengting and Yanjun walking closely together across the field, hand in hand.

Xukun was starting to think that maybe Ziyi had been right.

♥ ♥ ♥

_Ziyi hasn’t got any experience in the relationship department,_ Xukun thought petulantly, until the sound of applause filled his ears. He blinked out of his thoughts of the past as he joined in, a bit late, in clapping for the speaker. It all sounded strange, as though he was underwater. Indistinctly, he heard the event director give out a final word, encouraging everyone to tour the new exhibit, then everyone began to stand up. 

“Is it over?” Xukun stretched his arms, getting accustomed once more to the present surroundings. Zhengting nodded beside him, giving him a strange look as he stood up as well. The fluffy-haired boy started to head for the exit where the rest of the crowd was gathering, but Xukun grabbed his arm.

Zhengting froze, half-turned towards him. Xukun hesitated. It had been an impulsive action, and now his thoughts were tunneling in, and he didn’t know what to do. Zhengting had been uncharacteristically quiet all evening, he realized. 

“You - he almost bumped into you,” he settled for a hasty excuse, indicating an older man nearby. Zhengting nodded absently, then turned around again, pulling his arm away. Xukun felt distinctly colder. He hurried to catch up with the other boy.

The guests trailed through the exhibition entrance. The air was noticeably cooler in that area, and Zhengting couldn’t help but shiver a little. 

Xukun was suddenly very glad that Ziyi had forced him into a suit jacket. 

He carefully unbuttoned it, slipped it off and gave it to the dancer, helping him put it on. Though it seemed a bit out of place, it complemented him somehow. Zhengting looked at him gratefully, but glanced around quickly.

“I don’t think this is a good idea with everyone here,” he said quietly. 

“What do you mean?” Xukun asked. He was trying not to focus on the way that Zhengting’s eyes caught the light and the rapid thumping of his heart in his ribcage. Zhengting edged towards a far corner of the room, attempting to escape the crowd. They stopped right next to a glass case containing a fragile-looking blown glass device.

“Well, everyone is here, you know, watching… and those girls, too.” Xukun didn’t miss the way his voice had trembled, just a little. He followed the other boy’s gaze and saw the same group of girls he’d seen at the theatre standing nearby, whispering furtively to each other while stealing glances at him. He resisted the urge to make a face. “You - you’re treating me like you do with everyone else, right?” Zhengting paused, voice uncertain. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you, especially since, you know, those girls seem to be interested in you.”

Xukun was sure that he’d stopped breathing. Had Zhengting realized what he’d been thinking? Was this him trying to reject Xukun in a nice way? At that moment, Xukun knew he had to listen to Ziyi. He was going to tell Zhengting, no matter what. Seeing Xukun's confusion, Zhengting tried to clarify, tentatively, 

“It’s just… I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I mean, we’re not that close, and we don’t want more rumors spreading, right? And those girls might feel bothered.”

Xukun felt the air whoosh out of his lungs as he pressed the other boy against the glass case behind them, meeting his gaze firmly. 

“That’s what you think? That I care about what happens with those girls? I’m not - I don't have any interest in anyone other than you,” he said straightforwardly. Zhengting’s expression looked shocked, as though someone had electrocuted him. Xukun gripped his fingers in irritation. “How could I ever have cared about anyone other than you? There’s never been anyone else that I’ve paid so much attention to, there’s never been anyone else that I’ve wanted to spend so much time with, and there’s never been anyone else who I couldn’t stop thinking about from the very first day we met - ” _Since so long ago, when I was still in high school,_ he wanted to say.

Well, that may have gone a bit overboard. He sucked in a trembling breath.

Zhengting was still staring at him as though Xukun’s hair had turned bright purple. Xukun felt his nerves jangling wildly with adrenaline. 

“I… I feel the same,” Zhengting ventured, so quietly that he almost missed it. Xukun felt his heart accelerate impossibly quickly.

“You - what?” he rasped, his throat trying to restart.

“I really like you, too,” Zhengting repeated, his eyes wide like twin pools. Xukun looked back at him, conflicted.

“But you and that other guy - Yanjun, are - ?”

“- Not at all. He’s my cousin,” Zhengting interrupted, blinking up at him. “He’s like one of my best friends.”

Oh. _Oh._ The realization made Xukun’s knees go weak. 

“Then - then you’re saying - ”

“I’m saying, let’s give it a try,” Zhengting finally smiled. “I know you’re really popular, especially around all those girls. I thought that after we’d stopped seeing each other that day at the cafeteria, you’d have forgotten me, you know, with Ziyi and maybe a new girlfriend and everything. When I saw you last time, you seemed so angry at me.” He was so close, Xukun could see the faint pink blush across his face, he could feel the slight tickle of his breath on his skin as Zhengting exhaled. “But now, after this… I think maybe it could work out.”

Xukun covered the remaining distance between them, surging forward without warning. Zhengting’s back hit the glass case hard, making the interior display knock against the side dangerously. Xukun didn’t care that they were still surrounded by people, and he didn’t care what they would say about him. All he could focus on was Zhengting as he pressed his own mouth to his. It was gentle, almost tentative, but intense, and basically the most amazing thing Xukun had ever experienced. 

When they broke apart, out of air, Zhengting’s face had gone completely flushed, and his eyes twinkled just enough to distract Xukun momentarily from the fizzling in his chest.

“So, um, are you still mad at me?” Zhengting asked, looking up at him a little nervously. Xukun tried not to appear too smug. 

“Not at you. But maybe if you bring me to see Yanjun again, so I can tell him off.” He must not have said it jokingly enough, because Zhengtng’s head shot up worriedly.

“What? But I - ” he started, before Xukun tugged his face against his chest again.

“I’m kidding,” he mumbled through Zhengting’s hair, reveling in the sweet, flowery scent. “I’m sorry if I scared you. At first I just thought that maybe he was a creep who was planning on using you or something. Plus, you were avoiding me, so I was annoyed. But I'm not mad now, since now you’re sticking with me, and I’m not letting you leave again. I can’t imagine spending tomorrow, or any day without you anymore.” 

“You’re such a sap,” Zhengting poked his cheek, his smile lighting up his whole face. “I thought you didn’t like me back, so I tried to give you more space,” he continued in a quieter voice. “But I’m really, really glad that I was wrong.” 

“You were definitely wrong,” Xukun grinned, and felt Zhengting elbow him playfully.

As he squeezed Zhengting’s hand tightly in response, Xukun realized, with slight trepidation, that he’d have to owe Ziyi and Yanchen for this. 

* * *

“Now you can admit it,” Chengcheng proclaimed proudly, turning to Justin, Zeren and Xinchun from where they’d been spying on Zhengting and Xukun across the room. “I knew all along that this one was a keeper.” 

Zeren coughed and rolled his eyes as Justin nodded in agreement.

“We’ll have to report this to Yanchen ge,” the youngest lowered his voice conspiratorially. “However,” he turned to Chengcheng seriously, “Kun ge may have passed our initial evaluation, but we can’t be too sure yet. Let’s see if he can pass the _real_ test.”

“Got it,” Chengcheng replied back, and the two of them grinned wickedly as Zeren and Xinchun exchanged a glance.

Zeren fought an overwhelming urge to take a step backwards. _Well,_ he thought, heaving a sigh and looking away, _it's pretty much impossible to just let them have some peace alone, especially with Justin and Chengcheng around_. 

He would have to pray for Zhengting and Xukun's sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know this was kind of rushed and messy, so I'll try to write the next chapter better! Also - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WENJUN!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, at least a little! Please consider leaving a review :) I would love to hear your thoughts!


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